


過去のおばけ | Kako no Obake

by psykotisk



Series: 起死回生 | Kishi Kaisei [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Big Hero 6: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Bad Decisions, Bot Fighting, F/M, Young punks, crime & violence, criminal mastermind to husband and father, domestic baddies are my favorite thing EVER ok, heartbreak & hardships, love that won't die, overly affectionate girl, plus one woman who needs to stop falling apart THANK YOU, touch-starved bad boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-08-05 00:39:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16357286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psykotisk/pseuds/psykotisk
Summary: "The Ghosts of the Past"For better or worse - Cass has had a rebellious streak going steady through most of her youth.Thanks to her affinity for causing disaster, her luck has been going down the drain and life has been getting a bit hard for her. While still trying to finish her culinary degree, she hit some financial struggles & so the young lady took up a job at one of the shadiest bars in all of Good Luck Alley.There was no way she could know that the night the bar hosts the world's largest underground botfighting competition, her life will change forever after meeting him...the infamous Obake.





	1. Running Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> " _It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be._ "  
>   
> \- Mitch Albom, The Timekeeper

_“Another night in my new skin_

_Throw emotion to the wind_

_Just try to find a face that make me feel something --”_

In a blur of movement, a hand shot out from under a thick plaid duvet and crashed hard onto the top of the blaring alarm clock, silencing the song immediately. After a moment of pause, the hand slowly retreated back under the confines of the duvet, its owner grumbling in annoyance as they shifted away from the alarm and towards the wall instead. A deep sigh echoed into the dark room as they curled up again, drifting quickly back to sleep.

_“And for all the pretty mouths and pretty words that turned me out_

_I just end up at your house_

_Twenty-thousand leagues beneath the ocean --”_

The hand again struck at the clock, the first few strikes falling uselessly around the base of the clock before again silencing the machine. A young woman emerged from under the duvet with half-closed eyes and a tangle of auburn hair sticking up in every which direction. As if on autopilot, she slowly tossed the warm, plaid cover off of her torso and away from the possibility of it luring her back to sleep. She scrunched up her face as she stretched, a few pops, cracks and groans were elicited from the girl as she returned unwillingly back to reality. She sighed deeply and rubbed at her eyes while fighting away a tangle of sheets from holding her legs hostage. Once free, she planted her feet on the ground and she leaned towards her nightstand, her nose nearly pressing against the display of her alarm clock.

She narrowed her bleary eyes, wondering briefly if her sleep-deprived brain was playing tricks on her as she leaned inwards even closer to the clock face, when she suddenly froze. A cold chill of panic descended upon her rapidly as her eyes glanced over the time again and again and again. With a string of barely audible curses, she grasped the clock in her trembling hands, her eyes now wide open and fully functional.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no - I'm gonna be late!!”

 

* * *

 

 

Soft, fluffy clouds had been lingering off in the horizon of the Pacific Ocean long before sunset, but as they made their way closer to the City by the Bay, the happy looking puffballs had evolved into towering, ominous cumulonimbi. As the beastly, flat-topped formations lingered ever closer, the muted rumbles of distant thunder and waves of unforgiving breezes whipped through the streets threatened to unleash a downpour on the coastal town. Nonetheless, the clouds moved slowly on their way in to land and the first drops of rain didn't start until the amber sun dipped low behind the magnificent but not-so-golden-tinted bridge and beyond the glittering ocean, when dusk had fully engulfed the sky above San Fransokyo.

The moon and the twinkling night sky were swallowed whole as the storm rolled in, casting a dark shadow over the city in one fell swoop. The carp-shaped wind turbines floated gently as they were slowly consumed by the lowered cloud ceiling, meanwhile a contrastingly fierce gale whipped through the city's many hills, before the looming clouds finally released and dropped sheets of chilling rain down into the awaiting city.

Streetlights came blinking to life, causing the now drenched streets to glow in warm, amber hues. Lighted windows dappled the city skyline like artificial stars in the dark, bleak night while welcoming neon signs and lit-up advertisements hung above the sidewalks, beckoning damp passerbys to abandon the streets in search of a warmer reprieve.

As the rain fell, the city was lulled to sleep. The exciting, fast-paced beat of the day came to a silent crawl as people made their way home, eager to be out of the elements, until the streets were entirely devoid of life. The calming sounds of the slow downpour echoed between the buildings and through the streets, eating away the sounds of the hustle and bustle of city life.

Night had finally fallen in San Fransokyo.

For once, the city that never slept had decided to give in and take the night off. The usual hectic city life was paused as everyone tucked themselves in to slumber while the rain peacefully encased the city in pure serenity.

That is, for everyone except one rather reckless girl .

Cass was doing her best to be quiet as she stumbled around her bedroom, attempting to hastily get herself ready for her late night shift. She pulled a striped tank over her head and she drew up her favorite tight jeans over her hips before trying to fix a stubborn, leather boot onto her foot, of which she was having little luck in doing.

As soon as she had driven her heel sharply downwards into the ground, her foot popped into place in her shoe. She quickly repeated the process with her other foot, thrilled that even if she would be late, she would at least be out of the apartment without being caught by any of her family members. Cass turned about in a circle, looking around for her jacket but all she found during her frantic spin was another glimpse at the alarm clock next to her bed.

Was it possible that time had sped up? There’s no way it had taken her that long to get dressed!

She did her very best to choke down a lump in her throat as she approached her nightstand table, the clock's illuminated face glowed ominously in the dark. A slight red tint was spread out over the table and a few of her belongings - including her phone and cosmetics pouch - as if the clock was now instead an alarm system watching over her personal items and warning Cass not to do anything or go anywhere but back to sleep.

Not one to be controlled by fear, the girls snapped her attention from the clock face to her make up bag and swiftly snapped up a handful of cosmetics. Nonetheless, she couldn't stop herself from breathing shallowly as a pool of anxiety bubbled in her stomach.

“ _Tachibana, you useless girl, that’s it! The next time you’re late, you’re fired_!”

Cass groaned, only now remembering the stern rant Boss had gone on after she was late to her shift earlier last week. Sure, she had a problem with tardiness, but she was a great waitress and her customers always loved having her as their server. Why Boss couldn’t overlook her only major shortcoming and instead praise her on her many, many wonderful talents was beyond her.

 _He was just a pessimist_ , she figured,  _just like mom and dad. None of them will ever understand what I've got to offer this world!_

Cass nodded to herself as she raced to her bureau and tapped her fingers gently to the touch-activated light she had glued onto the mirror's frame a week or two ago. Maybe she had a chance at buttering up Boss and getting him to ignore the time clock if she could overwhelm him with her girlish charms.

Now her mind was set. Even in the muted light, Cass intended on working a miracle on banishing that raggedy, fatigued look from her normally cheerful face. In a careful rush, Cass pulled out eye shadow and mascara, quickly applying the cosmetics before moving on to tend to the rest of her face. A bit of cover-up here, a bit of blush there… By the end of her make-up frenzy, she sighed, hoping dearly that she wouldn't look at all atrocious once she was in the well-lit environment of her workplace.

As she gazed over her done-up face, her pine green eyes glanced over to steal a look at her alarm clock. Cass sighed deeply, trying to control her nerves. After all, she always managed to talk her way out of trouble - it was one of the few things she was genuinely good at doing after all. People rarely ever could keep mad at her for long. Here’s hoping Boss would fall victim to her charm and follow suit as everyone else did.

As she brushed her cheeks with another streak of pale blush, Cass crossed her fingers prayed to whatever holy being might be up there that her tardiness wouldn't be an issue tonight. She attempted in vain to again assure herself all would be well, doing her best to ignore the clock as she rolled a thin layer of glittery gloss across her pouting lips. Cass quickly raked her fingers through her locks, straightening the part of her crazed hair, following after with a brush, easily taming her somewhat Medusa-looking ‘do. Cass sighed deeply, hoping at least if everything else went wrong tonight that the rain would have ended before she made it out of the building. She gingerly tapped the light off, fear jittering through her system as she turned into the darkness and began feeling out for a trace her purse.

She dug around briefly to pull out an umbrella - just in case! - while she still searched for her purse. She came up empty in every spot she looked. Of course, it didn't help at all that the room was pitch black because she was trying not to wake her sister who was currently silent - although her sister was always known to be a regular snorer - in the top bunk of their shared beds.

As she dropped onto her knees and patted around in the space under her bed - the last place her purse could possibly be - Cass’ heart pounded mercilessly in her ears, but silenced suddenly when the room was bathed in the low light of her trusty desk lamp.

Cass slowly drew herself out from under the bed, grimacing pathetically as her eyes locked with that of her older sister, who was now standing at their doorway. A judgmental scowl had been glued onto her face as she looked over Cass, disappointment searing into Cass’ very soul. One hand held tightly onto Cass’ purse and her other hand was clamped onto the light switch on the wall.

It was now going on 18 years that Cass had spent stuck sharing every detail of her life with her older sister, Florence. While Cass had started taking culinary classes at a nearby university and chose to cut down on her spending by living at home all the while, Flor had been given a full ride to a good number of schools, where she eventually eenie-meenie-miney-moed her way to a school in Washington state. Flor had been so charmed by Seattle that she rarely returned back to her hometown, which gave Cass a taste of that delicious freedom she had always hungered for. In fact, Cass had long imagined that when Flor finally moved out of state - which, by the way in which she ranted and raved about her new home, was inevitable at this point - she would finally get a reprieve from her older sister's overbearing wrath.

Cass was right, in part, that she was now finally able to live her own life, have her own insane job, and make her own - sometimes very bad - decisions during the week. Regardless, her sister was such a family-centric person that she usually ended up driving home every few weekends to visit their family and her darling, dorky fiancee who had been making quite a name for himself at the nearby university, SFIT. Through her regular day trips back home, Flor would always take over the top bunk in their shared room, unleash her older-sister personality and immediately make Cass feel like she was seven years old again.

And, of course, this weekend was when Flor had decided to come home. The biggest weekend in the San Fransokyo bot fighting underground and here she was - home again and already giving Cass hell.

Flor stood cross-armed as she guarded the door, her long red hair taking on a large shape behind her - somehow looking even more threatening and massive than any of the bouncers that worked at the Pit - as a stern expression set itself on her face. Her jaw was offset in a tight frown and Cass' purse was clenched tightly between her trembling hands. To a fault, Flor was always looking out for her baby sister, even claiming that she was trying to protect Cass from herself - or, at least, that's what Flor had always said to her.

Though Cass rarely ever heeded Flor's advice, admittedly, her older sister was almost always right. Preparing for the tongue lashing of the century, Cass took a deep breath and groaned. She was in no mood for this tonight. Flor wouldn’t be able stop her. She _had_ to do this tonight.

“Oh, sorry, sis, did I wake you?” Cass said, her voice shrill and unable to hide her annoyance. “Was I being too loud?”

Flor sighed in annoyance before tossing the purse to Cass. “You know damn well how loud you were being. Loud enough that you didn't hear me climb down from the bed, you dope.”

Cass winced as she caught the purse, not knowing if it was Flor's tone or the impact of the purse against her chest that had her do so.

“Either that or you’re just so self-centered and focused on yourself that you never even paid me any mind - like usual.”

Cass tried on a weak smile. “Sorry, Flor, I didn't mean to wake you, honest.” She confidently strutted toward her sister, intending upon sidestepping around Flor, but her sister refused to budge.

“Where are you going?” Flor asked, gently pushing her sister back into the room. “I can't help wondering what's up, especially considering you - the girl who once slept 23 hours because she forgot to set her alarm - purposefully woke up this late at night.”

Cass waved her hand up and down, trying to fan away her sister's concern. “Oh, it's nothing - just work. I have an overnight shift, no big deal. Boss’ orders!”

Flor glared at Cass, taking in her fully made up face and casual outfit. Flor's thin eyebrows furrowed downwards in disbelief, calling sweat to bead up on Cass’ forehead. “You sure? You look like you’re going on a date, not going to slave away all night at that 24/7 coffee shop you swear you're always tied up at.”

Cass gulped defensively, the dryness in her mouth was suddenly all too overwhelming. She knew eventually Flor would be the one to catch her lies in the end, but tonight, Cass really needed her sister to turn a blind eye on her somewhat illegal nighttime activities.

“Yeah, it’s just the old coffee shop, that's all,” Cass drawled as she attempted to fit between her sister and the door frame, only for Flor to grab onto her shoulders, holding her steady in place. “It’s cool though - they don’t enforce the uniform policy overnight. Isn’t that awesome?”

“Seriously? That’s the best you can lie to me?” Flor sighed and her face fell. “God, Cass, stop with all the lies. I'm not stupid. I know you’ve been lying all this time, but I wasn’t sure why. Now, something’s going on. Tell me, Cass: what is it? Why are you leaving at this time of night?” Flor’s grip on Cass’ arms tightened as she questioned her sister more forcefully.

Cass groaned and pulled herself out of Flor's grip, now painfully aware of how she was now going to be even later to work. “I'm not lying, I'm just going to work. Honestly! And if you can excuse me,” she glowered at Flor, her temper rising. “I'm gonna be late. Get out of my way - now.”

Flor clenched her eyes shut and she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “Cass, I won't stop you, but I need you to know I'm worried about you.”

Cass sighed exasperatedly. “Look, Flor, I can take care of myself just fine and -,”

Cass’ mouth snapped shut as Flor suddenly wrapped up her sister in a tight hug, freezing Cass in place.

“Cass, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on this weekend and I know you're going down there.” Flor leaned away from Cass, but she kept her grip on her upper arms, trapping her in place for the time being. “You have a long history of making some really stupid decisions and I'm worried about you - I'm worried for you! I can't always be there for you and I'm so afraid you're going to end up in a really bad situation one day because I wasn't there to save you.”

Cass bowed her head, trying to keep her eyes from meeting her sister's. It was way too hard to keep staring into Flor's broken-hearted gaze. Cass’ stomach flopped. She was actually starting to feel kind of... guilty.

“Don't do this.” Flor begged. “You already have enough of a criminal record. Please, Cass. Don’t go there tonight. _Please._ ”

“I appreciate your concern, Flor, really. But I can't do this right now. I have to go. I have to do this.” Cass took her sister's hands in her own. “We can talk about this in the morning and, I promise! I'll try to change my ways. I’ll be better after all this, I swear it to you!”

Flor sighed, a single laugh broke through her weary smirk as she released her hands from Cass. “Fine, I get it. One last hurrah and all that. Look, just don't do anything stupid. Don't get arrested and don't get yourself killed. We'll talk in the morning.”

Cass smiled and gave her sister a quick hug. “You're awesome, Flor! Thanks,” she released her sister and finally was able to squeeze past Flor and she started towards the door leading out of the apartment. “I'll see you in the morning! Love ya, bye!” Cass waved energetically as she ducked out and closed the door behind her.

Flor sighed dejectedly as she listened to the melodic clicking of Cass engaging the lock from the other side of the door. She rubbed her temples and turned around into their room, too exhausted to chase Cass down and far too happy to get back to sleep. Flor grabbed onto the small ladder at the foot of their bed and clamber upwards, but suddenly her gaze was drawn to the window.

Flor slowly tugged the blinds up, glancing down at the shining streets, here eyes tracking one lone girl who stood at the stairway to their apartment complex, who was fighting with opening an umbrella. All at once, the black thing expanded outwards and over the girl's form, engulfing her whole and finally protecting the petite girl from mother nature’s wrath. Flor could only watch, overwhelmed with worry, as the girl and umbrella bounced down the street and off down a side alley.

Flor reluctantly let go of the blinds, darkness and fear creeped instantly into the room. She slowly crawled up the squeaky metal frame into the top bunk where she remained for hours, staring at the ceiling.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Cass… Here’s hoping you can make it that long.”

 

* * *

 

 

Cass had taken what she wanted to imagine would be just a temporary job in the dirtiest part of Good Luck Alley for, as she would say, the “experience.”

Really though, as a pretty young lady in one of the seediest joints in the city, she kept her waitressing shtick at the Pit for the good sum of money she rounded in every night. She desperately needed the cash to continue with her culinary degree - and god only knows that her parents would never help pay for her “idiotic” career choice and were only just kind enough to let the foolish girl live in their home free of charge, but nothing more - and this ridiculous job took care of her. She really couldn't complain.

Unlike Flor, who got a free ride at an amazing university in Washington, Cass was struggling immensely to keep up with her education and every buck counted at the end of the day. Now looking back at her school days, Cass wished she could go back and time and give a good dose of reality to her younger self. She had always been far less of an overachiever than her older sister and their parents constantly remarked that Cass was too sloppy and lazy with her schoolwork and that she needed more drive and passion to be successful in life. As difficult and vile as her parents could be to her, Cass had to admit it: if only she had listened to them then, things might be a lot easier now. It definitely felt like all of her shortcomings had been coming back to bite her in the ass at this miserable point in her life.

And ignoring the shady criminals, the rowdy punks and all of the Pit's other worrisome clientele, Cass never had any problems at work - that is, no problems that couldn't be solved with a slap to the face and a bouncer at her back, ready to toss anyone - along with their unwanted advances - out of the building.

Plus, she just _had_ to work tonight! Tonight the Pit was hosting the Tournament of the Kings.

Cass had heard the other waitresses talking back and forth about this night ever since it had been released as the location for the tournament. From what Cass was able to gather from loose bits of conversation that tumbled about and around her, it seemed that once a year the best of the best bot fighters from around the world gathered to try their luck against the King - this being the person who won the previous year's tournament - in a no holds barred, anything goes, fight to the death tournament where only one bot would survive the night.

The night would culminate in the most intense match of all where the winner of the tournament would have a chance to take down the King in a battle of the ages. If anyone could take down the reigning King, the title would be pass to the new winner for a full calendar year until the madness started all over again with the next tournament where he would now have to defend his title. Not only would the winner be added along the likes of the legendary Kings of the past tournaments, but an incredible total of the night's winnings would pass to their hands, alone.

At first, the prize money was all Cass heard about, but the topic of focus changed recently and as Cass catered to the Pit’s patrons over the last few nights, it came to her attention that the winner of last year’s tournament and this year’s current King had usurped someone who had held the title for five long years! Though she was very new to this underground life, Cass couldn’t help but be impressed by the previous King as it seemed everyone had echoed the same thought: his winning streak had been absolutely unheard of. She couldn’t help but believe herself that there was no way that this guy wasn't going to return and do whatever he could to take vengeance on the current King. Cass shuddered as she remembered a few hulking brutes whispering about it all over a few large glasses of beer: it sounded like this dethroned King was out for blood. This night promised to be _intense._

And considering that each year the Kings of the past returned, they brought along an ungodly hunger to reclaim their title along with suitcases upon suitcases of cash for bribes and bets. Sake would be flowing generously into every raised glass, increasingly dangerous bets would be wavered against the the opponents as the night progressed, and the waitresses would get monstrous tips as the night built up to the ultimate climax and the massive battle for the title of “King.” Paired with what was expected to be a bloodbath between the past champion and the current King, the night promised to be a party with no limits.

Cass just couldn't believe her luck: she had stumbled upon this job opening totally by mistake a few months ago and now, this year, the tournament just happened to be held at the Pit. She couldn't hold in her grin - she was going to do anything she could to ensure that she would be rolling in money by the first of the morning’s light! The waitresses who were familiar with this event and those who had been told from a friend who heard from a friend and so on, had only overwhelmingly good things to say about the tournament. It would be a crazy busy night, but it sounded it would be well worth it! Cass had grown wildly excited to participate in the insanity, if only to reap such great rewards for herself - as long as Cass wouldn't be fired for her tardiness as soon as she walked in the door, that is.

With a fire in her eyes, Cass made record time on her run through the barren streets, with the cool downpour and all. Her wet socks sloshed in her boots with each step but she held her head high and broke into a huge grin as she caught sight of the familiar lantern light emanating out of Good Luck Alley, knowing she'd be out of the elements soon enough.

Cass really hated herself for not being able to have found her jacket - she really could've used it now! Her umbrella had helped keep most of her body out of the rain, but her bare arms and wet socks were chilling her to the absolute bone. She could only hope the Pit would be warmer than this and she'd would be perfectly content drying while running around and serving the Pit's vile customers, if need be.

Cass rounded the corner and broke into a quicker gait as she caught a glimpse of a rowdy group moving toward the - now not so secret and heavily crowded - entrance to the Pit. In her untamed elation upon arriving at her destination, Cass became oblivious to her surroundings and in one poorly timed step on a slick "One Way" marking on the ground, her foot slipped out from under her, sending Cass sprawling onto the dirty, wet asphalt.

Cass attempted to lessen the blow by sticking out her hand, which was still holding tightly onto her umbrella. The pole snapped backwards as it collided with the ground, doing her no real good, only leaving her with a useless umbrella that was broken in two. Her grip loosened as she landed roughly on her front - her right shoulder and knee taking the worst of the hit. The pieces of the umbrella scattered into the alleyway as she collapsed onto the ground.

She couldn’t refrain from crying out in equal parts shock and pain as she came to her senses, slowly trying to pry herself off the disgusting wet asphalt. Her body ached miserably with the sting of fresh injuries as the rain continued to saturate her form and beat down on her back, soaking Cass and her thin outfit straight to the core. Tears had gathered at her eyes as she felt the first pangs of pain, but now they broke through their dams and streamed down the sides of her face as she realized how badly she had screwed up this time.

Not only was she unforgivably late, but now Cass was wet and covered in rain and dirt and gook and god only knows what else. There was no way she'd be able to work tonight - she'd be thrown out on her ass if she even tried coming in the door looking like this! What paying customer in their right mind would want to be serviced by a girl looking as miserable as her?!

While still on her hands and knees, stuck miserably in her own self-despair, a shadow descended over Cass’ body, gently protecting her from the elements. Cass was curled up in a protective ball as she did her best to contain her overrun emotions, absolutely oblivious to the stranger's presence.

A polite cough sounded out, breaking her out of her pity party. Embarrassed of being caught so unaware, Cass looked up in grateful shock, about to choke down her emotions and thank her savior. Instead, she could only gasp sharply as her eyes locked with those of a piercing gaze. For a few moments that stretched seemingly into oblivion, Cass was completely frozen staring into the chilling, frigid depths of a winter freeze.

Narrowed ice blue eyes glanced over her, not a hint of emotion passing over their hypnotizing gaze as they searched Cass’ soft, tear streaked face. She froze involuntarily as the eyes pieced into her soul, Cass now feeling like a mouse caught under the paw of a hungry cat, silent and completely unable to move.

As if suddenly aware of her discomfort or having found what he was in search for, the man raised an eyebrow and his lips formed into a soft, half-hearted smile. He stood close to her side, his one hand clutching onto an umbrella, doing the best he could to keep her out of the rain and he quickly extended his other hand and offered it downwards to Cass’ face.

"Well, hullo, down there. Need a hand?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used on the alarm clock is ["Surrender" by Walk the Moon.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO8QTlAwFT0)


	2. Under the Wolf's Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> " _If you look up 'charming' in the dictionary, you'll see that it not only has references to strong attraction, but to spells and magic. Then again, what are liars if not great magicians?_ "
> 
> \- Deb Caletti

The man waited a beat for Cass to respond, but when she failed to even make a sound back to him - _how were those frosty eyes so enchanting_?! - he chuckled and bent down to her level. Cass drew further away from him, attempting to pull herself off the ground even slightly as to put some ground between him and herself, but an aloof grin cut across his lips and he moved even closer besides her. With a glare in his direction, she scowled at him and could only wonder if he had ever heard of the idea of “personal boundaries.”

But as her eyes locked again with his, Cass once more became enraptured within his inescapable gaze - now wholly unaware of the closing distance between the two of them.

Cass tried her best to shake herself out of his spell, but an odd, murky sort of feeling was lingering about in her thoughts as if her brain had melted into sludge. She almost felt as though she was inebriated, her eyes tracked slowly and delayed as she pulled herself away from the man's eyes to finally get a full look at her rescuer.

He must have been somewhere close to her age, if not a few years older than her. He was a good foot or so taller than she and he was rather thin, especially when considering his height. His pale skin seemed to be glowing in the low lantern light, which only assisted in revealing deep bags under his eyes - telling the wordless story of many miserable, sleepless nights. His face was quite angular with high cheekbones slopping down into narrow chin and his half-lidded blue eyes were absolutely striking. It looked as though he was wearing eyeliner, or his slanted eyes were instead framed by a rather feminine set of eyelashes that somehow only added to the severity of his glare - as they were currently busy boring a hole straight through Cass’ soul. And… was it just a trick of the light, or did one of his eyes flash red? Cass shook her head and gazed back at the man, his eyes were again a pale, ice blue, not entirely assured if she had just been imagining things or not.

What hell and horrors this guy had seen, Cass couldn’t even begin to wonder. He had a gash cut straight across the bridge of his nose and though it was deep, the scar tissue was light pink and glossy - it was by no means a recent injury. He wore a number of piercings spread across his ears, brow, and nose and if he didn’t look enough like a rebel at this point, he had even decided to stylize his dark hair into an untidy mohawk with two red streaks dyed down his ‘do. Though she had seen a good number of renegades and punks at this point in her life, Cass couldn't help herself from gawking at the man - she couldn’t deny he was handsome, but there was something alarming about him that was putting her teeth on edge.

With a worn leather bomber jacket, ripped denim trousers and a pair of purple converse sneakers adorning his feet, he truly looked like just another one of San Fransokyo's stereotypical ne’er-do-wells. True, even despite his attractive features, Cass could easily see him being just another one of those dirty, shady, lowlifes who did nothing but waste his days and money in the shadows of Good Luck Alley, like the rest of the lot. Though he was charming enough to stop and offer shelter from the rain as she lied splayed out on the ground, Cass didn’t want to get her hopes up. He probably was up to no good.

Honestly, he probably was no good himself.

After all, Cass couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this guy. The intense prescience he emanated was like nothing she had ever felt before and just his gaze sent in her direction set alarm bells ringing off in her head. In the few months she had been working at the Pit, she had seen enough felons and criminals to last a lifetime - yet, this guy was different and worse from anyone she had come across so far. He bore some unnerving energy about him like he was no man, but instead could have been some wild animal that was just biding its time, pretending to be a civil creature as he played with the weakened, foolish prey that was lying spread out before him.

She shuddered as his eyes glanced over her face again, his lips parting into a thin smirk as she did her best to avoid his gaze. Something dark, dangerous and unpredictable was lingering beyond his calm facade - of that, Cass was certain.

The image of a foolish, brown, mousy rabbit caught between the paws of a grinning shaggy wolf came to the forefront of Cass mind. She gulped uselessly as he descended upon her - fearing it was already too late and she was already caught in his trap.

The man’s eyes wandered for a moment and he gave her a swift once over, assessing the girl for damage. His sharp features took on a darker look as his eyes connected with her right shoulder. Before she could stop him, he reached out to her and gently skimmed his fingers over her raw flesh. Cass clenched up her eyes in pain, hissing at his light touch, his every movement felt like needles were stabbing through her skin. She gasped inwardly as his hand adjusted and he cupped his cool palm around the wound on her shoulder, the stabbing feeling swiftly abated as his touch transformed immediately into a soothing sensation around her tender injury.

Though she was doing her best not to react too much, she unintentionally winced away from him as the stinging pain grew sharper once he drew back from her. In the wake of his touch, her wound ached sorely and Cass considered grabbing his hand and re-applying it to her shoulder to feel that same calm again. Instead, she tried to hold herself still as the man examined the palm of his hand. He looked from his hand to Cass’ eyes before he turned his hand to face her.

_Blood._

Cass eyes widened in shock. _Just how hard did I hit the pavement?!_

“You've gotten yourself roughed up pretty badly, darling.” The man's expression remained uninterested, but his eyes were again laser focused on the red substance that tinted the palm of his hand. “I can only imagine this doesn’t feel too pleasant for you, you poor thing.”

Cass’ heart trembled as he acknowledged her, his eyebrows slopping downwards in sympathy. And _god_ \- she hated herself as a heat rose over her face - the damn bastard just had to have a dreamy accent, didn’t he?

Nonetheless, even with his overzealous charm, Cass couldn't help but feel a level of revulsion rise in her gut as the man analyzed the red muck. He seemed to be completely enthralled, lost in some sort of reverie brought on alone by her blood.

“Are you in pain?” His eyes flashed back to her, causing Cass to jump slightly. His voice was surprisingly thick with a tone of concern as his gaze seared into her. “Where does it hurt? Is there any way I can help you?”

Suddenly self-conscious, her mind went first to try and cover up whatever she could of her injuries. If nothing else, from all the years of mistakes and trouble she fell headfirst into, Cass learned how to perfectly fake a smile and carry on like nothing was ever wrong.

Whether she was in pain, humiliated or heartbroken, she’d always be able to put on an act for the ages - no one but Flor would ever assume anything otherwise. Even when coming to bail her out of jail, her parents never saw anything other than a foolish girl with a mischievous grin who had gotten a bit too much into trouble and was now simply having fun at their expense. They never noticed her knees knocking together as they scolded her outside the police station and they thankfully never heard the quiet sobs she choked out in the shower upon returning home.

No one but Flor could ever break her defenses. Her older sister always had a way with seeing straight through Cass’ bullshit and was never afraid to call her out on her lies - but she also knew when to forget the scolding and drag her younger sister into a much needed bear hug. She had to admit - sometimes it was kind of nice to have a big sister looking out for her.

At the end of the day, Flor was the only person who really knew just who Cass was through and through. She hated to dwell on it, but Cass was not comfortable with letting anyone ever get to know her that close. There was too much power in letting someone else see you at your weakest.

As she considered his worried expression, Cass calmly drew a smile on her face, hoping to god that this blue-eyed bastard hadn't seen the tears in her eyes when he found her on the ground. She pleaded to some nameless entity that this guy would be just like everyone else - completely blinded by a silly grin and a few fake giggles. In the blink of an eye, Cass flipped a switch and transformed into her “show” mode.

“Oh, man, I didn't realize I hurt myself so bad!” Cass tittered lightly, briefly throwing off the man's serious glare as her hand grabbed on to her shoulder as if she were just embarrassed instead of attempting to cover the wound from him and hide what had already been found. The man raised his eyebrows, a look of surprise and disbelief running across his features. Cass gulped, choosing to respond with a bright smile and a lie. “Thanks for the offer, but don't worry about me, it only hurts a little bit. I’ll be just fine!”

Cass’ right hand slowly traced down the side of her leg, managing to shelter her knee from his hypnotic sight. She held back a grimace as her fingers traced along the edge of a deep rut in the fabric of her jeans and she prayed that the skin of her knee had held up better than the trousers themselves.

Smiling demurely, she slowly drew her legs to the side - her right knee feeling like it was on fire as she forced her leg to bend - and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Like an actress who had read her lines perfectly without rehearsal, she smiled confidently at the guy, almost daring him to call her out on her act.

The man considered her stubborn expression for a moment while an eerily calm smile began pulling at the corners of his mouth. A cold chill broke down Cass’ spine as his eyes focused on her shoulder, lingering on her hand covering her injury, and then his gaze wandered downward to the hand clutching onto her knee.

His eyes dared to glance back to hers. “Are you certain?”

Cass stifled a scream as his hand traced lightly around her knee.

_How could he see through my act?!_

Without a word, he grasped the back of her fist, the severity of his actions knocked the wind out of Cass’ lungs.

“How much does it hurt here?” The man spoke quietly as his eyes drilled into her, somehow managing to knock her every defense away. Cass could barely make out his voice over the intense pounding of her heart, but she knew he was too attentive for his own good. “It's worse off than your shoulder, isn't it? May I see it?”

In shock, Cass drew back from him, attempting to break any and all contact with him as fear overflooded her every sense. She choked on her refusal, unable to move her mouth properly as she ducked away from him - determined not to allow his gaze or hands to rest on her again. Instead, as Cass moved hastily away from him, she lost her balance and fell onto her backside, his hand was still somehow glued on top of hers. Oblivious to her retreat, the man followed with her, attempting to slow her fall. Balancing the umbrella above them while his free hand clung tightly to hers, the man now hovered over Cass, somehow having ended up far closer to her than he was before.

Cass felt panic rising in her gut as she recognized that he had trapped her here in this seedy alleyway, where no one would even care if they heard her screaming for dear life.

_I'm gonna die here aren’t I? This freak - he's gonna kill me, isn't he?!_

Before she could slap him senseless or start to plan whatever else she could to escape, the man steadily drew in a breath of air and moved his face close besides hers, freezing Cass’ racing internal monologue instantly.

“Dear girl, calm down. You won’t do yourself any good struggling about like this.”

Goosebumps popped to life over her bare flesh, a hazy feeling settling thickly over her mind as she then got a good whiff of his cologne.

It was an oddly familiar scent - some sort of sharp but clean fougère. It rose up suddenly, startling her senses slightly but the soothing rich, woodsy tones caught up in her lungs, putting her strangely at ease.

_What was going on…?!_

“Please, may I?” His mouth was close - far too close - to her face, his cool breath just whispering by her ear, sending a shiver down her body. “I would like to help you but, I won’t do so if you say ‘no.’”

Though she wasn’t sure how, it felt as though he had put a spell over her as she suddenly lost the ability to control her speech. Cass heard herself responding as though she were not in her own body, but instead watching the scene from afar.

“Yes,” Cass replied numbly, her voice barely audible as she nodded her head in agreement. As she did so, her cheek rubbed lightly against his which setting a tight knot in her lower abdomen. “I would… like that.”

Without even seeing his face, she could feel the rise of his cheek as he grinned. “What a good girl.”

Cass’ chest was heaving in short breaths as he moved back just a enough to focus on her leg. He delicately peeled her hand off of her knee, a hungry look caught in his fierce eyes. She turned her head, not interested at all in seeing the gore of her wound, and he frowned upon revealing a rough, bloody gash that spread over her kneecap. Her pulse pounded rapidly as she felt the man put his hand over the aching part of her knee, that same calming sensation rushed over her senses as his flesh connected with hers.

_What is this weird power he has over me?!_

“Marvelous,” he hissed. “You really did take quite a tumble, didn’t you? You need to be more careful unless you want to end up dead on the street. You won’t always have a white knight like me here to help you back up again.”

Cass’ eyes broke open to glare at him. She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not - his tone and expression were both far too dry for her to judge - but she wasn't at all interested in allowing some rude asshole to keep admonishing her this way.

After all, if she wanted to be mocked or made fun of, she could just go home and wake up her parents for the show of her lifetime.

_Who the hell did this guy think he was?!_

“Thanks,” Cass replied sharply, aggressively forcing herself back in control of her faculties as she smacked his hand away from her. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I decide to kill myself in a dark alley.”

He suddenly glanced up to her, smirking as she continued to leer at him. Her stomach rolled as she fought to keep his wild gaze, a staring match suddenly breaking out between the two of them.

Surprisingly, he gave in and closed his eyes first. The man shook his head in dismay and he laughed quietly as he put his hands in the air in form of surrender.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything like that. Just… try to be a little more careful. You’re far too pretty a girl to be picking up such dreadful wounds like these” He pointed towards his face, drawing her attention to the gash across his nose. “I know a bit about this sort of thing. Regardless, I do apologize if I have offended you in any way, my dear.”

“It’s…” Cass shrugged and looked away from him, rather unwilling to accept his apology, but her cheeks grew pinker even she tried to ignore his choice of words. “Whatever. Forget about it. It’s alright.”

He patted the top of her thigh, suddenly sending chills across her body as his hand came to rest on her leg just above the wound. His touch was just a tad bit too intimate for her own comfort.

Though she wanted to force his hand away, Cass couldn’t repel this blush that was settling heartily over her cheeks and she ground her teeth in annoyance. She was completely at a loss for what to do. His touch felt like death - cold, intrusive and entirely unwelcomed - but her stomach felt like it was at a full boil, bubbling over with something akin to ecstasy or - _yuck_! - attraction, compelling her to remain under his touch.

Such conflicting emotions had her in a standstill - totally unaware of how to proceed.

_What’s going on with me?!_

“You really did a number to yourself,” his said softly as his eyes moved away from her wounded knee. He thankfully reclaimed his hand from her leg, but his attention was still focused sharply on her and his gaze wandered over her torn expression. “We need to get you patched up. Where are you headed this hour of night? I'd be happy to assist you to your destination, if you'd like.”

“The Pit,” she responded too quickly for her own liking, her mouth feeling overwhelmingly dry as she spoke. “I'm going to the Pit.”

“Oh, good,” he chuckled airily. “I'm headed that way, too.”

Cass had to stop herself from groaning. _Of course, he was going to the tournament._

The worst of the worst were out and about tonight and only the most insane, the most criminal, and the most wealthy thugs were to be allowed into the show.

Which meant that this guy really couldn't be anything but bad news, unless he was just one of those obnoxious thugs who would wait at the door and threaten the bouncers to get in.

But he seemed too suave, too intelligent to be a common criminal or petty thief. She hated to admit it, but he was probably something of a bigger deal in the San Fransokyo underground.

 _Shit_ , Cass’ internal voice cried out as she noticed the expensive watch he wore - as if it alone confirmed her theory, _as if I needed some crime boss to be getting all friendly with me!_

“Well now, in that case, let's get you out of the rain and in some place a bit warmer.” The man shot her a worried look. “I don’t think the Pit is the best place for a beautiful woman like yourself in this condition, but I’m happy to help you on your way. By chance, will you be able to stand on your own?”

“Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine - really!” Cass refused his awaiting palm as she hauled herself off of her backside, her knee still screaming away in anguish. The man backed away from her as she maneuvered onto her knees, a concerned look still caught in his eyes. As she tried to force herself further upright, her knee pushed onto the wet asphalt and a horrific pain shot through her leg as her raw wound rolled over the asphalt’s rough texture. She attempted to change her position again, the pain somehow increasing to something even worse even though her exposed knee was no longer in contact with the ground, and a high pitched squeal escaped her lips before she could latch a hand over her mouth.

The man was upon her again as her vision began fading to black. His free hand clutched a hold of her uninjured shoulder and he supported her upright as Cass’ eyes lolled in her head.

“Slow down, slow down!” His voice was low and stern as slowly helped her downwards. “Don't rush yourself, you've nothing to prove.”

His hand squeezed gently on her upper arm and he moved even closer towards her.

“Honestly, I'm not interested in leaving a poor sight like yourself out in the middle of a storm, but if you keep refusing my help, I will walk away,” his voice remained even, but a trace of something dangerous lingered in his every word. “Regardless, if you do not want my assistance, I ask you tell me now and if so, I will not press you any further.”

A fire of anger lit up in Cass’ chest as the man continued to glare at her. The two remained in silence for a moment, both too proud and stubborn to go on.

As the moment of strong-headedness grabbed a hold of them, the sounds of the evening enveloped the two. Rain was pit-pattering lightly around them while the unintelligible din of a nearby crowd - probably that of the Pit - carried through the alleyway. Cass’ breath was rough and ragged as she did her best to contain her tears. The man’s gaze softened as he continued to watch her as she did her very best to keep herself together. He rubbed his closed eyelids and allowed a raspy sigh to escape his lips.

“Now, this is the last time I'll ask,” he began again as his eyes looked back to her, his voice calm and steady. “Do. You. Need. Help?”

Cass was about to decline his offer again, and she forcefully met his gaze when she immediately froze in place.

Though his expression was nearly unreadable, his crystal blue eyes were glancing down at her through an unimpressed glare. Something similar to that of a disappointed…

Older sibling.

_Oh my god, Flor..._

A dam broke in her chest and a wave of overwhelming emotions bore through her brain. Cass felt her lip tremble - she was far too afraid of trying to respond to him, fearing she might just break down into tears if she tried. She didn't know how, but with only one look, he had broken through her defenses and she now could barely control herself as tears returned to the corners of her eyes.

She was tired, wet, cold and now only too aware that every part of her body hurt a ridiculously stupid amount. Her arm was stinging like a son of a bitch from where he had first brushed against her wound and her knee was throbbing something miserable. She still didn't know how busted up her leg might have been, but considering how he responded to that injury, paired with the amount of blood now leaking down her arm, she figured her leg was probably in pretty bad shape, too.

Doing her best to restrain herself, Cass turned her face away from the man and she relented. She couldn't stoop any lower at this point - she might as well just admit the truth. Cass took a deep breath to still her nerves before responding.

“Please,” she sighed, still trying to calm herself down even as she took her turn in admitting defeat. She looked back to the man, a satisfactory look gleaming in his eyes. “Could you… help me?

“Certainly,” the man bowed his head, courteously, playing his self-appointed role of the white knight quite well. “Can you stand on your own? If not, I would be happy to help you up,” he offered, his tone surprisingly warm considering his icy glare and all.

It was like he actually…

_Cared._

In response to his question, Cass vigorously shook her head, looking somewhat like a miserable bobble head doll. "I don't think I can."

“Alright,” the man wiped his soiled hand on his dark trouser leg and offered her his hand again, palm up. “Let’s get you inside and out of the rain. Then, we can have a better look at you, hmm?”

She breathed sharply, as if she was considering some life or death choice, and after looking back at the man - but doing her best to avoid his eyes -, she gingerly placed her hand in his palm, fearing the worst. Instead, his long fingers curled gently over her hand and he shot her a tender smile that contrasted eerily with his otherwise untelling expression.

“We'll stand up slowly. Let me know if I move too quickly for you.”

Cass nodded dumbly, as if all her vocal abilities had been chopped in two after his glacial eyes fell upon her again. The man provided her with the elbow of his other arm so she could brace against him as they stood, and Cass was actually hesitant to take him up on it.

Looking at the man again, she couldn't help herself from worrying that this frail guy would even be strong enough to pull her to her clumsy feet. It’s not like she was fat or anything but instead he was very thin and almost sickly looking. Even in the red glow of the lanterns, she could plainly see how pale he was.

Cass sighed and tried her best to not to imagine the awkward possibility of herself toppling down onto him. Her hand clasped around his forearm and her eyes jolted to his face as she tested her weight against his strength. She was grateful to find he didn't budge as she yanked down on him, slowly prying herself off of her wet rear as he helped to lift her off of the ground.

Slowly, the man stood back to his full height, bringing with him a scowling Cass back to her unsteady feet. She closed her eyes and did her best to keep calm as the world swayed around her - pain and confusion having too much a field day with her every sense. She felt herself relying a bit too much on his hold and she innocently tried to shake him off, taking an uncertain step away from him as she did so. In trying to right the world around her, Cass’ vision spun wildly and she lost her sense of balance, falling straight against the man's chest. She unintentionally braced her fall by wrapping her arms around him and his free arm too wrapped around her waist, clutching tightly to her frame and holding her upright.

The man broke again into a light, airy laugh as Cass opened her eyes and glanced up at him, her face immediately turning red and hot.

“Take it easy,” he smiled easily down at her. “One step at a time, darling.”

Much slower and more deliberately this time, Cass pulled herself away from the man. She felt his grip on her eased, but his hand remained at her back, as if he didn’t trust her fully to stand on her own or he was instead unwilling to release his touch from her.

“Uhh, thanks,” Cass mumbled as she found her footing, still all too aware of his hand lingering against her spine. “I really appreciate it.”

The man nodded. “Any time, my dear. And, oh -,” he paused slightly, his tone taking a dive and sounding far too much like something when a wolf licks its chops before delivering the final bite into the neck of its prey. “I do hope you'll forgive me, but I don't believe I ever caught your name.”

“It's Cass,” she started, almost hesitant to say her full name. He waited for her to continue, his eyes still prodding hungrily into her soul. As his eyes dug into hers, Cass groaned, suddenly every last name in the book flooding out of her mind. She gulped and then stupidly prodded forward, admitting her true name, “Cass Tachibana.” There was no turning back now. “And you are -?” She returned the question back to him, hoping to deflect that insatiable, pleased look off of his face.

“I am known as Obake,” he bowed deeply before her, taking her right hand in his as he stood upright again. He moved forward and tenderly grazed his lips over her knuckles, releasing a jolt of electricity under Cass skin.

_God, not only did he have an accent, but he really did have manners. What is the world coming to?!_

“It is a veritable pleasure to meet you, miss Cass Tachibana, and it would be my honor to accompany you to the Pit.”

“Mr Obake,” she repeated carefully as he flashed her a sudden smile. “Thank you. Really, thanks a lot for your help.”

“Of course,” he started with another bow of his head. As he returned upwards, his gaze vaguely traveled down the front of her body and he locked onto her chest. Cass' heart shuddered in nervousness, just about ready to smack him again - _the pervert_! - but curiosity got the best of her and she looked down first before hitting him. She couldn’t even stop herself from crying out in horror.

She found the front of her tank top was now covered in all sorts of grime and gunk, but worst of all, it was now entirely see-through. Her face flared maroon upon seeing straight through the lace designs on her dark bra. She immediately clasped her arms around her chest, ignoring the pain that was flaring up in her shoulder in order to properly cover herself up. With a nervous tremble overtaking her body, she gazed downwards, terrified of what else she’d see. Her heart flailed in her ribs as she caught sight of her favorite jeans in a miserable state of disrepair, now split open and stained red around her right knee.

“Oh my god,” she wailed hopelessly. “I'm a fucking mess!” She hastily did her best to pat the wet dirt off of herself, trying to keep composed in front of this “Obake.” Cass’ breath heaved faster and faster as her hands flew over her top, trying in vain to remove the grime, while only managing to spread the crap everywhere she didn't need it to be.

_Dammit, it was only getting worse!_

Cass' mind was growing faint and dizzy as she realized what a vulnerable and miserable position she was now in. The cold and the rain finally seemed to effect the girl as her body shook slightly in her frantic state.

Completely forgetting about the man standing besides her, she was unaware as he shifted the umbrella from one hand to another while removing his leather bomber jacket. She was still attempting to clean herself off as he moved forward and delicately hung the jacket over her left shoulder. He leaned over her as he pulled the jacket from behind her back and around to cover her open wound on her right. Cass froze as he continued to adjust the jacket over her, shielding her revealing top from view and a small grin lit up on his countenance.

“There,” he said at long last, his hand returning to its place on her back. “Much better, don't you think?” Cass gawked at him, not only was he showing her compassion but he was now revealing the impressive tattoos that wrapped around his upper arms. Obake gently lead her back to him, implying she could use him for support again. All the while, Cass was certainly confused and overwhelmed, but she couldn't contain an odd exuberance from bursting forth from her rapidly beating heart as his arm wrapped around her again.

Cass pulled at the zipper of the jacket, doing her best to ensure her chest would remain out of view. As she did so, a wave of his cologne wafted upwards into her face and her eyelids nearly fluttered closed.

"Obake,” she felt herself leaning into his side, her feet shuffling slowly as he began to lead her away. “Thank you.” She looked up to meet his gaze and nearly lost her footing as his eyes latched onto hers.

“Of course,” he smirked, his ice blue eyes were boring holes directly through her soul. His narrowed eyes were dark and dangerous with some sort of indescribable excitement - like a predator after an impressive kill.

Cass tried to pull herself gently from his grip, but his fingers gently dancing over her back dug into her, holding her still.

“Anything for _you_ , Cass, darling.”

  



	3. The King Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.”_  
>   
>  ― Mae West

With his grip tightly latched around her waist, Cass was now only too aware that she had in fact been trapped by this smooth talking, self-appointed “white knight.”

She really wanted fight against him and stop being pinned so closely against Obake’s lean side, but at the same time, the feeling of her body pressed against his was causing her dizzy head to swarm with all sorts of conflicting emotions. One very panicked part of her mind was hysterically urging her to elbow Obake right in the kidney, get away from him and not look back; then, the other insisted she stayed contentedly within the criminal’s hold and wait to see what might happen next.

Cass couldn’t control her intrigue from getting the best of her. She cursed under her breath and relented; it would probably be best to wait and allow herself to stay in the role of the damsel in distress just to see what this guy was planning. Regardless, her focus strayed with each step as she bobbed up and down, her arm rubbing awkwardly against Obake’s lanky build.

As if he could hear all the voices crying out in her mind, Obake turned to smile at her, attempting to calm the girl’s fried nerves. A simple gesture and, truth be told, his demure grin would have looked harmless on anyone else, but instead it only further pushed Cass into a defensive state of mind. For whatever reason, Cass just couldn’t shake this feeling that something was wrong. He had to have been plotting something! Fiends like him would never stop to help an idiotic, injured girl, unless they had an ulterior motive, that is.

But, then again…

Obake hadn’t actually done anything that would suggest he was up to something vile, at all. Cass thought back on their brief interactions and realized he had only been a gentleman since he approached her in the first place. Cass released a deep sigh, she could feel guilt creeping into the corners of her mind. It wasn’t right that she immediately distrusted him just because he came off a little… edgy. What was that one saying? “Never judge a book by its cover?” It was all too fitting in this scenario. Cass scowled at herself as she did her best to push away her emotional conflict and then returned a smile back to her rescuer. There was no reason to assume the worst of him.

_Who knows? Maybe this punk just looked a lot scarier than he actually was._

Cass tried to keep up with Obake but was uncomfortably aware that she was completely out of sync with his long strides. Her right shoulder bumped upward into his armpit occasionally as their bodies moved out of time from one another and though she tried to do her best at mimicking his pace, she was so out of her element with his body pressed tightly against hers that she couldn't seem to properly control her timing for the life of her. At one particular misstep, Cass’ elbow jabbed into Obake’s side and he flinched visibly. She blanched as his body jolted away from her - for just a second -, but he managed to recover quickly, his expression remaining unchanged the whole while.

Though she was incredibly annoyed at herself for being so damn clumsy, she was admittedly really impressed by him. Obake was far too polite to even remark on the fact that she might have broken one or two of his ribs. It seemed against all odds that Obake might have been an honest to god gentleman. Who would have thought? Cass hid the smile that was lighting up on her face with the jacket’s propped up collar - he was proving to be a very interesting acquaintance.

Obake slowly guided her around a throng of wet thugs that were loitering in a particularly poorly-lit portion of the alleyway, smoking who knows what as they mumbled back and forth to each other, their shifty eyes glared daggers at the two intruders. Cass had to push herself flush into his body to keep herself from drifting too close to this nasty lot and Obake’s grip around her waist tightened protectively as he raised his free hand high above them, attempting to keep them both dry from the down pouring rain.

She did her best to not think about how fast her heart was pounding or why it seemed she was having such a hard time remembering to breathe as she leaned ever closer against Obake. Instead, Cass tried to distract herself by focusing on the dull throbbing pain had settled over her knee and she was brought almost instantly back to earth. With each step, the wound screamed in burning agony. She wouldn't dare let him know she was in such miserable pain - after all, how much lower could she stoop after Obake had _literally_ found her crying to herself while lying on the ground? - so, she continued on without voicing any concern.

The two separated slightly after passing through the small crowd. Obake looked down to Cass and he apologized quietly, his steadfast grip released and his hand returned to support her at the small of her back. She nodded and faced forward, reminding herself not to completely lose her self control around this guy even though his pervasive touch was like addictive poison to her and this crazy part of her mind screamed to jump at him, wrap her arms around his neck and snog him passionately - it was like he had invaded every single crevice in her mind!

Try as she might to refrain her growing desire for the man, his heavenly cologne drifted lazily in and out of her senses as she leaned closer into him and his hand gently held onto her back and _\- god, it was absolutely impossible not to think about him while he was standing right there_! As if trying to escape her own thoughts, she began moving faster and took the lead for a moment while Obake struggled to keep up with her while maneuvering his umbrella to keep the rain away from the poor, already soaked girl. He was still glued to her side and Cass continued to hasten her steps while attempting to appear as calm as she could possibly muster.

Little did she know, she currently looked like a child that was trying to hold in a bad tantrum. Her mouth was screwed up in a tight frown, her brows dipped low as she concentrated on staring straight ahead, and a warm red hue had taken a hold of her cheeks. Obake attempted not to make it too obvious that the dopey grin he wore had anything to do with how precious she looked like that - even in her anger, she looked positively _beautiful_ \- and he tried to keep his eyes from wandering back to her.

But he couldn’t stop from staring at her.

Though he had plenty of lovers in the past, Obake couldn’t remember a single time he only had to exchange glances with someone and his usually cold and unfeeling heart had lost control and began pounding wildly in his rib cage like this. It felt almost as if he had been dead all this time, only tasting the first sweet breaths of life after meeting her. Though she was a tad bit feistier and stubborn than he expected when he had first laid eyes on her, he was even more intrigued by her. His hand clenched tightly against her back and she shot him a worried glance at his touch. Obake simply smiled back in response, which she then quickly turned away from him, focusing on any other aspect of their walk besides him. He couldn’t help but chuckle - she was something special, alright.

It had been a really long time since anyone dared to refuse his advances or even give him a hard time - after all, he was the one and only goddamn Obake! Smart people - or anyone without a death wish, that is - didn’t play around with a world renown villain, not to mention, no one would _ever_ choose to lie stretched out in a puddle rather than take up his help.

_It was idiotic!_

_Downright foolish!_

_Honestly!_

For, within the circles he went around in, everyone knew who he was. He liked living in the shadows and all the creatures that go bump in the night knew to stay far away from him. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t hide himself from the prying eyes of his fellow thugs and whether these people responded with respect, fear, or hatred to him, Obake couldn’t care any less. Anymore, he only saw people as chess pieces he could use and manipulate to help him achieve his goals. He didn’t strive to maintain relationships with anyone. Hell, he didn’t even want to get tangled with another person, after _he_ \- his ex-partner that absolute _bastard_ \- fucked everything up. Obake was officially done with people. He was over caring about others. He had no interest in this stupid shit, anymore.

Or, at least that’s what Obake intended until he found a rather drenched young lady lying in a sad state at his feet. His heart had launched into his throat and an uncontrollable wave of emotions struck him full on as their eyes connected.

He could only wonder if she had felt the same electric current, slowly magnetizing them and attempting to pull the two together. Judging by her flushed cheeks and straightened posture as he hesitantly caressed her back, he could only assume that she had.

Now, meeting this innocent girl who had no idea who he was or of the impressive criminal network he ran or of the amount of people that had been slayed by his own bloody hands, Obake couldn’t refrain himself from entertaining the thought of giving humanity one last try.

She was pretty, rather rebellious and she had this intense fire stoking away inside her soul.

Obake unintentionally licked his lips, his mind wandering to places he swore he’d never go again. He wondered what she tasted like. Could she kiss well? Would she be able to steal his breath away at her every touch? What would she’d smell like when fresh out of the bath and if he could hold her and bury himself away in her hair? Would she be repelled by him when he bore his scars to her or would she embrace him as he was? Would she fall asleep in the arms of another or did she sleep like a mummy, far away from her partner’s touch? And how would she look when she sleeps and then when she wakes to the soft kisses of her lover? Is she one of those pristine types that would never show him a single flaw and wake up with make up on, not a hair out of place? No, there was no way that was who she was - she was a walking disaster and he loved it. She would probably wake up with her hair all mussed up, her mind still lingering thousands of light years away, her hazy eyes blurred deep with sleep - looking naturally like hell -, but Obake’s throat tightened as his chest pounded relentlessly away. He had this intense desire to experience these things first hand.

It was hard to admit to himself that he was fully enchanted by her, as he couldn’t exactly place what it was about her that was stealing his breath away, but Cass was undeniably radiant. Obake fully intended upon keeping her precious flame protected and all to himself. Cass bumped into him again, knocking Obake out of his thoughts and back to the present with his arm wrapped around the clumsy girl.

Cass groaned as she hit into Obake again, still far too proud to admit that with every other step she was grateful to have a solid body to lean against - otherwise at the start of their walk especially, she had felt as though her leg was prepared to give way instantly the moment she put any pressure on it. But, having to rely on someone else in any manner put Cass on guard - she never cared for the idea of trust and she found it very hard to let people in to see her true self. She never had any trouble fending for herself, but feeling this weak and caught in such a bad state of despair, she was honestly glad this guy had stepped in to help. Even if he was a bit intimidating and a little bit odd and far too sexy for his own good _._

“You don’t have to walk so quickly, you know,” Obake spoke quietly to her, after her right shoulder dug particularly roughly into his side, though he again tried not to show her any signs of his own discomfort. “We can move slower if you’d like.”

Cass glimpsed up to him, unable to hide her confusion. This guy was really throwing her off in so many ways. Obake had only been charming and chivalrous to her, his smooth voice had such a concerned tone and he spoke so gently to her, yet his sharp gaze belied none of this kindness - it was such a disconnect! The neutral expression he wore was gazing upon her with cruel eyes and a seemingly contemptful grin, while his voice was thick with worry. Cass gazed away from his eyes, having such a hard time maintaining eye contact with him. She still doubted what to think of this punk as she wondered deeply upon which of these two sides he showcased to her was true.

_Maybe I’m not the only actor here._

“God, did I hurt you?” Cass suddenly slowed to a stop, forcing Obake to stand still besides her. “Listen, I'm really sorry if I did - _shit_! - I didn't mean to -”

Obake dismissed her question with a shake of his head. “No, don't worry about me. You're the one who was injured. You have no reason to apologize.” His eyes raked over her face as he pressed tighter against her side, his hand holding onto the umbrella moved to the wayside, making room for the two to draw in closer to one another.

“Now, again, would you like me to slow a bit for you? I'm worried I might be moving a tad too quickly for you, in your current state.” His blue eyes were pulled to her lips as she felt his grip on her back take a deeper hold onto her. Cass involuntarily gasped as he descended on her. “I hate to see you having such a difficult time keeping up with me.”

Cass pulled tightly on his coat that was wrapped around her shoulders, trying to shield herself in any way from his piercing gaze. He moved in towards her, his chest pressed against her arms, which were crossed defensively over her exposed bosom. With every breath, he pushed further into her and Cass felt herself unable to move away from him, in fact, she leaned in slightly, almost daring him to do the same.

“Yeah, that'd actually be nice,” Cass needed only to whisper with the short distance closing between them, her lips brushing lightly against his as she spoke. A devilish gleam was caught in Obake’s gaze as she breathed deeply, her cheeks taking a rosy tint. As the two remained motionless, Cass was all too aware that his hand was pulling her body even closer against him, yet she lacked any resolve that might have kept her from resisting her body pressing flush with his. She couldn't help herself as her eyes moved swiftly between Obake's eyes and his lips, too many reckless thoughts of kissing the ever loving life out of this bastard screamed through her mind. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to keep herself grounded while her heart pounded viciously in her chest. “Going a bit slower, I mean, I’d like that.”

“As you wish,” Obake chuckled and broke away from Cass, returning to properly support her by her side. Feeling as though an 18-wheeler truck just ran her over, Cass stood there utterly frozen as she tried to process what almost happened and how close his lips had been to her own and how much she had wanted to grab onto his neck and pull him into her. Her thoughts raged through her mind, suddenly aware of the double meaning of the question he had posed to her.

“ _Moving to fast…_ ”

“ _Going a bit slower…_ ”

_Did he really…? Was he going to…? Was he just coming on to me? And I didn't notice?!_

Obake gently nudged Cass forward, her feet plodding on against her own accord; the pair now moving slower and more in sync with one another this time around. She felt her face was running hot as Obake's hand snaked up her spine and wrapped around her shoulders, where his fingers danced from the edge of her shoulder to the back of her neck, where he gently stroked her exposed skin. Cass shivered as goosebumps crawled across her flesh, now truly glad she was wearing his jacket so he couldn’t see just how powerfully she was reacting to his touch. She peaked innocently through her wet bangs and saw the punk smirking to himself - he knew exactly what he was doing to her! Attempting a front at obliviousness, Cass tried to clear her mind and the ever-tightening knot in her stomach as she bit down on her lips, doing her best to control the girlish outburst she felt brewing in the back of her mind.

By this point in her life, Cass had made far, far, _far_ too many mistakes because of her raging hormones and the occasional overindulgence of alcohol - which never failed to be a lethal combination resulting in horrific hangovers and terrible life choices. She had made her way from boyfriend to boyfriend in her young life, at first seeking pleasure and at least one good night of fun but, after turning 18 and realizing she had to pay her own way through school, Cass took a dive in her activities. She started going into even stupider businesses in order to keep herself enrolled in school and above water, because her parents had made it clear after her last arrest that they were done taking care of her.

As an example of her utter stupidity, until the day she would die Cass would never forgive herself for getting _that_ tattoo after one particular evening of decadent red wine, high class sushi and the charming companionship of that up and coming business man. Though she could barely remember his face, she could never forget the guy's name, as “ _Alistair_ ” was permanently inscribed in cursive writing on her left ass cheek. Honestly, some part of her worried that this Alistair guy would actually make it big and she’d never be able to show her face in high society, which was, of course, her end goal.

She certainly couldn't imagine ever becoming a world renowned chef as long as one of her high class peers knew her hidden secret - that she had spent her youth selling everything but her soul just so she could get by… or maybe just to have a good time.

_It would spell ruin for me!_

But now Alistair was the least of her worries.

This guy - Obake - was most definitely even more dangerous to her than Alistair. She had no idea what he might be capable of or exactly how self-destructive his influence would be on her. He could be rich. He could be evil. He could be a millionaire in disguise or maybe he was instead a rapist or murderer… She had absolutely no way of knowing. Being with him was like playing with fire.

_Was he a risk worth taking?_

There was a darker side of her mind that urged her on, to see what he and her could do together. He might be completely harmless - maybe he was all bark and no bite. But then again, he could be something _terrible_ and it could be _amazing!_ Regardless, she couldn’t contain herself from being overtaken by an image of the thin, tattooed punk stripping down to nothing more than a pair of briefs. It perked her up instantly and she laughed quietly to herself, unable to clear the image from her mind now. Who knows, maybe meeting him was a chance encounter, or maybe it was something more. Either way, Cass knew herself to be a true renegade at her core and she could feel a bad decision coming on.

Cass nodded determinedly to herself - she had decided she’d find out exactly who Obake was. Gentleman or thug, she really didn’t care. He was too interesting a puzzle to let be!

Another shiver rolled down her spine, pulling Cass back into reality as Obake stroked his fingers through the back of her hair. She fought back a fit of giggles as she dug herself deeper into his jacket and hesitantly looked over to him. The bastard had the gall to look her in the eyes and flash her a goofy smile - he knew what he was doing to her! - Cass grinned back at him finally allowing herself to really be taken in by his charm.

For better or worse - she was going to enjoy her time with him.

As the pair winded through the end of the labyrinthine alleyways, they remained silent, but neither could remove the smiles from their faces. Even as they approached the bustling crowd in front of the Pit, Cass could feel Obake's eyes constantly tracing over her body; his attention was glued onto her just as his hand was to her shoulder. She had never felt so in the spotlight with his energy ruthlessly encompassing her, pulling her apart at the seams and trying to dig deeper into her mind as he shot her constant glances from the corner of his eye. Nonetheless, beyond the intrusive nature of this intense feeling Obake gave off, Cass was fairly giddy being basked with such attention.

She did her best to keep her eyes forward and, though her breath kept hitching in her chest, she reminded herself that she needed to be careful. She had been hurt many times before after allowing herself to be swept away by too many wild romances. Cass feigned innocence and pulled on the collar of the jacket to hide her face. A genuine blush had settled onto her cheeks even as she tried to chase all these feelings away, the smell of his cologne was overtaking her sensibility and sound of mind. She breathed deeply and pulled his jacket closer to her face.

The girl was aware and slightly afraid of this something that was brewing their between them, and as much as she never wanted to have any sort of mob boss or whatever he was as a boyfriend, Cass couldn't help herself from reveling in his unyielding attention.

 _Attention_.

It was always because of her damn need for attention and instant gratification that she always ended up making so many horrible decisions in her life, and Cass made a terrible habit from rarely learning from her mistakes.

She could feel herself being drawn so deeply into Obake's touch as they made their way to a large crowd surrounding the Pit's front doors. She should have felt sick to her core about him, but instead she was actually not looking forward to parting once they got into the Pit. Cass ignored her worried thoughts and tried to peer around the rowdy horde of punks blocking their way in, hoping to see Andre or Naoko at the doors. Even after six months of working at the Pit, she still couldn't tell the two muscle men from each other. Realizing there was no way to make her voice heard over the many cries ringing out in tight alley, Cass was about to ask Obake to help her maneuver around the group so they could get closer to the main doors and either one of the two bouncers, but before a word could escape her lips, she lost her thoughts while gazing at the odd man. Obake's eyebrows had furrowed down on his otherwise calm expression and he took a deep breath.

_What did he think he was doing?!_

“Pardon me,” he spoke, his voice was clear and loud over the din, which began quieting as the group turned around to glare at Obake. As the criminals and other unsavory punks focused on the man clutching around Cass shoulders, the alleyway descended into undisturbed silence. Cass looked around in surprised, seeing awed expressions and the occasional scared grimace in the group. “If you all don't mind, I would like to escort this lovely young lady inside.”

As if on cue, the crowd parted ways immediately, allowing a straight walkway forward towards to two hulking bouncers. Cass expression mimicked that of the crowd as she whipped her head around, utterly in shock of the group’s reaction to the man standing at her side.

_Who is this guy?!_

Cass finally turned her attention to focus on Obake, who appeared nothing short of regal before the crowd of punks, ragamuffins and wannabes. He was absolutely glowing in the attention of the crowd - _apparently, we do have something in common, after all_ , Cass reasoned. Obake bowed slightly to the group, a pleased expression falling over his gaunt face.

“Thank you ever so much, all,” he began walking forward through the empty pathway, Cass following in tow as she continued looking wildly around, wondering in parts horror and admiration of what was going on. “I greatly appreciate your kindness in this matter of seeing this poor girl inside and out of the elements.”

Cass scoffed, knowing damn well that all these open mouths and wide eyes had nothing to do with her and everything to do with the man pressed against her. She couldn't fathom why, but she was now dying to find out just who he was!

Obake pulled Cass to the front of the line and under a small awning that was shielding the two bouncers from the unyielding rain. He dropped the umbrella to his side, closing it swiftly with a click of a button at its grip. The thing collapsed into itself until it was nothing more than the size of a tube of lipstick, which he shoved deeply into his trouser pocket. As he turned his attention to the bouncers, the two men adjusted their stances and stood fully upright, watching with rapt attention as Obake led Cass even closer.

Andre - _or was it Naoko?_ \- trembled slightly as Obake nodded to the two meaty men and though Obake looked like a sickly stick as compared to him- roughly two feet shorter and 200 pounds lighter than the bouncers - , Andre could barely manage a smile as he addressed him.

“W-welcome, sir. We-we've been looking forward to serv-v-v-v-ving you,” Andre stuttered, sounding somewhat like an ill goat as he spoke.

Obake tipped his head. “Yes, I've been rather looking forward to tonight, myself.” He turned to welcome Naoko - _or was it Andre?_ \- into the conversation. “I hope you both will be enjoying the night's events, even while stationed outside, of course.”

“Oh, hell yeah, sir!” Naoko, who was usually much more stoic than Andre - _or were the names the other way around?_ -, smiled gruffly down at Obake, his slick New York accent made the man all that much more threatening. “And let me echo his sentiments,” Naoko pointed at Andre. “It is a pleasure to be serving ya, sir.”

Obake smiled curtly and nodded again, giving the man a cue to continue.

“I hoid last year was something of a fluke for ya. Anyway, I sure as hell hope so - I've always been rootin’ for you, man. And that new King? He’s a piece of horse shit. I hope ya can give his sorry ass a good beatin’ and knock that son of a bitch down a few pegs.”

“One can only do their best.” Obake’s lips parted into a wolfish grin. “I hope not to disappoint, lads.”

The two bouncers nodded their heads in time and both reached blindly to their sides, robotically opening the metal doors leading into the Pit, allowing the muted uproar from within the building to pour out into the alley. Cass’ heart fluttered knowing she was so close to making it into the building.

_Maybe there was actually a chance she'd make it through the night!_

As the two began to walk into the building, Naoko - _wait, wasn't it Andre who was from New York_? - gently put out his massive hand, halting their progress forward.

“Cass, don't think I didn't see ya there,” Andre smirked knowingly at the wet girl. “Boss was goin’ total ape-shit because of ya. If I was ya, I wouldn't get too comfortable once ya get in, if ya know what I mean.”

Cass stuck out her tongue at Andre. “You don't scare me, you big oaf, and neither does Boss.” Truthfully, she was terrified of the man. Boss was built like a samurai and rumors said he was something like an assassin in his youth. But she would die at Boss’ hands before ever admitting how much he scared her!

Andre snickered and rolled his shoulders. “Ain't my problem one way or another, little lady. Just wanted to prepare ya,” he chuckled deeply at her frown. “Even if ya got a friend like Mr Obake here, that don't mean squat. Boss will eat you alive.”

Cass quickly turned her head from Andre and put her nose in the air, taking a step forward and dragging Obake along for the ride, this time. He couldn't refrain from smirking as the wet, injured girl forced him onward - there was something about a strong woman that got his blood going, and Lord only knew how much his calculating brain was wrapped around Cass at this point, already.

“So, my dear,” his arm clenched tightly around Cass, pulling her to a stop as they entered into the first floor, which appeared to be nothing other than an ordinary, seedy bar - this only served as a front to the more illicit activities that were hidden in the floors below. “Where exactly is that boss of yours? I'd like to have a chat with him.”

Cass sighed, casting her eyes toward the ground. “Nah, don't worry about it - you don’t need to get involved. I’ve had a terrible few months here, I’m probably gonna be fired anyway.” Cass unwillingly pulled herself from Obake's grip and she began pulling his jacket off of her shoulders, intending to return it back to her mysterious companion even though it would put her in a rather revealing position.

“Thanks for everything, really,” she offered him an attempt at a cheerful smile as she handed the jacket to Obake, she caught a glimpse of blood splatters all over her upper arm and she tried in vain to keep her gaze upwards and not worry about her chest. Despite how much Cass was sure she looked like shit, she was more so worried to think about what the inside of his jacket might look like than herself. “I can't thank you enough for your help, Mr Obake.”

Obake smiled wearily as his hands folded over hers. “Please, it’s just Obake. And additionally,” he took the jacket from her and he slowly wrapped it around her back again, his arms coming to rest on her upper arms. “Please, keep it.” He gently squeezed her, then allowing his hands to slowly fall to either side of her hips. “A gift from me to you.”

Cass pushed away a wet bunch of hair from her face, doing whatever she could to distract him from seeing just how rosy her cheeks were. “Thanks, ‘just’ Obake.” He chuckled shortly before pulling away from her. “I'm gonna go find Boss, maybe he'll take pity on me after seeing me like this.”

Obake's eyebrows lowered, casting a dark look over his narrow face. He opened his mouth to speak, but a shrill cry cut him off before he could get a words out otherwise. Cass & Obake turned their attention to the bar, where a thin girl with a round face and long raven black hair threw herself over the counter and raced up to the two. Obake threw out his arms, standing protectively in front of Cass and the girl stopped only a few inches from running into him. She covered her hands over her face as she took as step backwards, trying to get a better view of Cass.

“Cassy? OMG, you look like _shit_ ! Where were you, girlie? Are you OK? We were so worried! Are you hurt?” The girl spoke quickly, her words blurred into one another, setting Cass’ head spinning. Suddenly, the girl just took notice of Obake, who was standing directly in front of her, and she glared at him, pointing an accusing finger sharply into his chest. “Did this guy hurt you? Is he harassing you? Do I need to punch him? Who are you? What have you done to our Cassy? I will hurt you, so help me, _I will tear you apart_ , I sw- !”

“Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!” Cass laughed as she waved her hands, trying to slow the stream of words from the other woman's mouth. The girl clamped her mouth shut, but continued to sneer at Obake through a slanted glare. “Calm your tits, Yoko! I'm OK. He's OK. Just chill a moment!”

Obake peered backwards to Cass, his face was all screwed up in concerned while Cass took a hold of one of his arms and slowly pushed it down, forcing him to put his guard down, likewise. Obake stepped to the side, allowing Cass to approach the overly aggressive, fast-talking girl.

“Yoko, this is my friend, Obake. He helped me get here tonight after some trouble. And, Obake, this is Yoko, my co-worker and she -”

“Obake? _The_ Obake? Oh my god, Cassy, I didn't know you had such famous friends!” Yoko squealed and threw her arms around one of Obake's, who gave her a scowl of distaste as she clung onto his side. “Oh, Cassy! Why didn't you tell me about your _friend_ ?” She batted her dark eyes Obake's direction as she leaned into him, he only rolled his eyes and attempted to push her away. “Obake, sir, please allow me to help you down to the tournament! I would be more than _happy_ to assist you, sir.”

Obake quickly shook Yoko off of his arm, immediately throwing the same arm around Cass’ shoulder as his other hand covered his mouth, attempting to clear his throat. “Thank you very much, miss, but I am already under the very capable care of Cass.”

Cass shot him a look, knowing fully well that she looked like hell warmed over while Obake had been taking care of her. His eyes jumped from Cass and back to Yoko, some sort of uncertainty trapped in his gaze.

“But, Miss Yoko, I would like to request a favor of you. Rather than help me, can you assist Cass in attending to her wounds?” He gently peeled back the jacket from Cass' shoulder, revealing her bloodied injury. Though she was not incredibly comfortable with Obake putting her on display with her wound being presented so openly, Cass still felt a strong sense of comfort while she was wrapped up in his embrace and she didn’t fight him from doing so.

Yoko at first took on a very beaten down look, selfishly more concerned that for the first time in a long time that, that she was being turned down rather than worry about her co-worker, who looked like she had been run through a garbage disposal. But, suddenly Yoko's eyes lit up as she glanced at Cass wrapped in Obake's embrace, forgetting her personal problems for a second and catching on to more than even Cass would admit.

“Oh, of course!” Yoko clapped her hands together in excitement. “Obake, allow me to take care of Cassy and I'll bring her back to you in perfect condition! Just like new!” The chipper girl grabbed onto one of Cass’ hands and yanked her forward, dragging her from the punk’s tight grip. “I'll get her back in shape in no time, just you wait!”

Cass laughed freely as she was pulled away across the bar to the ladies locker room. She turned around and waved from under the jacket back at Obake. “I'll see you soon - that is, if I even have a job when I get back!”

Obake smiled and returned the gesture, waving robotically until Cass was yanked unceremoniously through a door. His hand dropped sharply, as did his expression once Cass was finally out of sight. He turned about, shoving his hands into his pockets as he crossed the floor. His expression turned dark and grim as he prowled towards the secret entrance to the lower levels, a blood-thirsty look gleamed in his cruel, ice blue eyes.

“Don't worry, Cass, darling,” his voice was barely a whisper as he stalked through the bar, towards the muted commotion. “I will take care of you, I promise.”

A few lowlifes were nursing beers and mixed, unsavory drinks as a precursor to the insanity that was about to begin below at the _real_ Pit. Obake calmly made his way past these nobodies, a few of which clammed up or watched in awe as he strolled by. A trio of tattooed, yakuza looking thugs began whispering in hushed tones to each other as Obake passed them by.

“Hey, isn't that the King? You know… the _defeated_ one?”

“Shit,” another thug chimed in. “I think it is!”

“Shut the hell up, you idiots!” The third hissed to the others. “That guy is _crazy_! They said he's going to kill the King tonight. I don't know about you idiots, but I ain't gonna be next on his list. Drink your beers and lay low - this ain't gonna something you want to get in between.”

A vicious smirk grew to life on Obake's face in hearing the whispers passing down the tables as he approached the hallway leading to the restrooms, all eyes were glued onto him. Their fear was palpable. He could feel their attention and their panicking emotions and it brought him _such_ joy.

Power was good and all for the masses, but it could be bought, just like loyalty and friendship. Instead, Obake had always hungered for something more… _reliable_. Something no mere mortal could keep a hold on.

Now, _fear_? Fear was priceless. It couldn't be purchased with money. It couldn't be taken by others. It could only be earned. And in the last few years, Obake had done plenty enough to earn this fear and instill it in others. Doing so had been utterly intoxicating. It was the difference between being a man or a god. To be able to instill such a fear in others through a name alone?

_What a feeling!_

In fact, for a young man who couldn't seem to find reason or understanding in much anymore, fear was his choice of poison. And it was especially good to see that this fear was very alive here in one of the darkest dives in the world.

_What a rush!_

Obake turned his attention from the muttering patrons of the bar to a vibrant red tapestry bearing the symbols _運 富 幸福_ \- _luck, wealth and happiness_ \- that was hanging on the far wall between the men and women's restrooms. At closer inspection, it was a simple _noren_ that hid a dark secret within it and an even darker staircase behind it. Obake ducked low as he lifted the _noren_ and crept into the pass beyond to start a blind trek, deep under the earth.

After tonight, Obake was more than certain that he would be ever closer still to achieving godliness as he had quite the plan in store for the villain that claimed his title the year prior. Though meeting Cass had been such a pleasurable break in what would assuredly be a dark night, now that he was away from her presence, he couldn't keep himself from submerging himself into the darkest corners of his tortured mind.

His left hand trembled as he clamped tightly onto his right forearm, feeling the faint vibrations and clicks of electric currents pulsing through his robotic prosthetic. He forced his right hand to ball into a fist and he breathed through the building rage, attempting to bring himself under control again.

Obake gnashed his teeth as he recalled the final battle of the year prior, where he was not only robbed of his throne and his favorite bot, but that _bastard_ had broken the unspoken rule of containing the fight to the bots themselves. As a last ditch effort, the son of a bitch had his bot run away from losing its brawl and the coward had sent his bot to attack the King, directly. Obake hated himself for not having seen it coming, but in all the history of underground bot fights, no one had ever attempted to hurt or kill their opponent and especially considering it was _him_ … Obake still couldn’t understand what happened between them, but one thing was for certain, that night was the last time he ever wanted to see that man again. He had been unpredictable and Obake had trusted the fool and was thusly caught unprepared by the coward.

But he wouldn't be caught unaware ever again and his old partner, Yurei, would _pay_ for his foolishness.

Obake breathed sharply through his nose, doing his best to settle the memories of the pain and gore the current King had done unto him. Tonight wasn't just about becoming the King again, it was about taking revenge and serving justice unto he who had so viciously wronged him before. This year, he would ensure everyone would be there to witness the end of King Yurei.

Obake's mouth formed into a jagged grin as he was overtaken by a mad fit of giggles, his state of calm immediately fading away as his mind conjured images of the blood spill to come. Just thinking about it was plenty enough to make his head spin and his pulse quicken.

_What a rush, indeed!_

A light glow emitted faintly from the left portion of Obake's face, briefly lighting up the dim stairwell. Obake caught sight of the wall and he ran his right hand over the brick wall, smiling dangerously as he continued downwards.

He was entirely bitter that he would never again be able to feel a damn thing in his fake hand, not to mention that he had lost the use of his dominant hand in this incident, as well. After last year's tournament, Obake had to spend a few good months training his left hand to take on the duties left behind by his right before he could even begin working on creating a prosthetic limb. On top of that, he had to spend additional number of months getting used to the prosthetic, which took far too long for his liking. At this point, his right hand was able to handle mundane, basic tasks, but he feared he would never be able to reclaim dominance in this hand, which had once worked miracles in creating incredibly delicate technologies.

It was beyond infuriating to dwell on these thoughts. For now, he would refocus his hatred and anger to progressing through the tournament so that he would get to face the King again. Obake would ensure that the self-proclaimed nightmare himself, King Yurei, would come to regret last year's tournament more than Obake regretted the loss of his hand.

Obake patted the round disc shaped figure in his pocket, certain that his new bot would be just the thing to reclaim everything that the bastard had once stolen from him, yet, his rage continued to burn at a fever pitch. His face continued glowing brightly as he slowly released a long since pent up, guttural laugh that echoed through his frail frame, filling the dark stairwell with the sound of a million demons laughing.

One thing was for certain, after Obake was done with him, Yurei would absolutely _lose his head_ tonight.

 

* * *

 

As soon as the locker room door clicked shut behind Yoko, Cass pressed her back to the cold metal of her locker door and she unceremoniously slipped downwards onto the floor. She looked down to the pile of clothes sitting in her arms and sighed deeply, already too worn out before her the night truly even started.

Yoko had helped tend to Cass injuries, wrapping up her knee and shoulder after applying a healthy amount of antibacterial ointment to the wounds. With gauze now protecting her open flesh, Cass felt a bit stronger and more motivated to get herself cleaned up for the evening.

Yoko promised she had an extra wardrobe stuffed in the back of her locker for _emergency_ circumstances, but after Cass dried herself off and put on a fresh layer of makeup, she blanched at the sight of said outfit. She suddenly was very aware of what Yoko must have understood to be an “emergency.”

A red tube top, a dark denim miniskirt, and knee-high fishnet stockings.

This was literally the last thing she wanted to be wearing in front of some of the world's most cunning and terrible crime lords and mob bosses, yet here she was with little to no choice. It was the only spare clothing in the building that would fit her. These miserably skimpy pieces of clothing were her only options left.

_Isn't this just my luck?_

Cass tossed the clothes onto the wooden bench separating the two rows of lockers and she began kicking off her boots. Though a bit dirty, her boots were good to go, so at least she wasn't going to be in an entirely foreign costume.

Still incredibly against the slutty outfit she was about to don, Cass sighed deeply and gave in. At least if everything else failed, she could try to convince Boss to let her stay through her feminine charms... _As if that was even within the realm of possibilities of reality!_

Yet, Cass forced herself into the outfit, only thinking once and a while back to Obake and what he might think of her showing off so much skin. It at least kept her from throwing Yoko's spare outfit into the trash and keep it on her body, all the while. Just before leaving the locker room, Cass glanced back to Obake's leather bomber jacket she had stowed by her locker and she ran back to it, immediately she pulling it on. It thankfully covered the entirety of her bare stomach, making her feel slightly less naked in the loaned outfit. Cass sauntered over to the mirror and turned around a few times, admiring just how sharp and dangerous she looked all wrapped up in these foreign clothes.

_Maybe I could pull this off, after all!_

Cass took a few strained breaths before entering back onto the floor, tugging uselessly down on the miniskirt as she walked, where she found Boss and Yoko were waiting for her. Cass screamed internally as she held in her desire to go running away from confronting these two at once. Yoko had so much personality, it was hard to handle her normally, and then Boss…

 _Well, you try talking back to an enormously muscled, six foot plus tall man who is covered in scars of battles across his exposed skin and tell me how that goes for you_!

Instead, she trudged forward, hoping she would be able to defend herself before her terrifying boss ripped her into a thousand sorry, little pieces.

“Hey, Boss! I am so sorry for being late tonight, but I can explain! I kinda got in an accident and, you know how clumsy I am, and I -,” Cass jumped as Boss whipped his hand upward, cutting her voice off immediately.

“I'm not accepting excuses tonight, Tachibana,” he growled deeply, his voice as deep as a lion’s roar, glaring daggers into her soul. “But, you're in luck. After all the shit you've pulled, it seems like you still have a guardian angel out there somewhere.”

Cass blinked at Boss, wondering if she was losing her hearing or her mind. “I'm sorry, what do you mean? I'm not fired? I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, but why not?”

Boss scowled and rubbed a hand through his rough dreads. “Girl, you're not all bad, but you gotta get your life together. This - tonight - is your last chance. Don't you dare screw it up.”

Without another word, the bulky man turned on his heel and stomped off in the direction of the _noren_.

Still befuddled, Cass shook her head and glanced over to Yoko for help. “What the hell is going on?”

Yoko grinned excitedly. “Someone gave Boss some good money to pay for your _service_ tonight.” The way she said that word sent chills down Cass’ spine.

“Hold up, I don't remember ever giving anyone the right to sell my body to customers - what the hell is Boss thinking?!”

Yoko sighed and tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder. “You ditz, not like that! Someone paid Boss off to let you keep your job for tonight and to have you be their personal attendant. You'll take care of them and give them companionship, you know? It's someone who wants you _bad_!” Yoko winked at Cass, her angular eyes gleaming wickedly in her direction. “And I think you might know just who I'm talking about.”

Cass felt her heartbeat quicken. _Could it be… did he do that for me?_

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Yoko jeered. “Get going, girlfriend! You don't keep Kings waiting, after all!”

Cass smiled brightly before heading off to the employee’s well-lit, back entrance to the Pit. As she shuffled down the steps, Cass suddenly thought back to what Yoko had called him.

“Y _ou don’t keep Kings waiting!”_

Cass slowed her pace as she came to the final landing as the pieces came together, her heart thrumming wildly in her ribs. She gripped onto the door handle and pushed her way into the hectic stadium area, her heart beating faster and faster as the world spun around her. She began pushing through a crowd, the pain in her knee and shoulder the very last of her worries as she considered the possibility that Obake could be -

_No, there was no way._

_It couldn’t be him._

Cass had escaped the crowd and ran over to the railing that overlooked the battlefield below. She grasped the railing tightly as she gasped at the revelation.

_But he was, wasn’t he?_

_I mean, how else did he part all those people at the entrance? How could he have otherwise convinced Boss to give me another chance?_

_That must have been it._

_He was one of the Kings._

An arm clenched around Cass waist and she cried out as she was pulled out of her swirling thoughts and into the embrace of a grinning fiend.

“Obake!” She called out breathlessly, throwing her arms instinctively around his shoulders. “It's you!”

He chuckled moving closer against Cass’ body, eliminating any space that once existed between them. “Of course, who else would it be?” His eyes lit up as he glimpsed down at her scantily clad form. “And oh my, don't you look good in that thing.”

Cass face flared red. “Listen, this is in now way my normal sort of outfit, so don't get too excited.”

He grinned fiendishly and moved closer yet to Cass, his mouth was just a breath away from hers. “Oh, not that, you silly girl,” his lips moved against hers as he spoke, sending ripples of goosebumps over her body, as his hand traced along her cheek. “I meant in seeing you in my jacket, all done up as you are now. Cass, you are _radiant_.”

It was then that he closed the slight gap between them, his lips pressing suddenly into hers. She squealed as he pushed unexpectedly into her, forcing her body flush against his. Her hands grasped tightly on to the fabric of his shirt until her fingers turned white, all the while his one hand was busy descending from her cheek as he traced down her back, along her spine.

Cass moaned and pushed back into him, earning a deep chuckle that echoed from Obake's chest. She felt her eyelids flutter to a close as she moved deeper into their kiss, accidentally forcing his mouth open as she did so. Her tongue tested his nervously and she could feel him smirk, in response. Before long, their tongues were sliding and dancing with each other, both so lost within each other’s hold.

Obake broke away from Cass, gently pulling her bottom lip with him, and Cass foolishly felt herself move with him, still chasing his touch. He pressed a quick peck to her lips, then he grinned eagerly, swiping her wild bangs to the side. Cass wrapped her arms around his shoulders again as his hands laced behind her back. Cass giggled lightly as she leaned into him, resting with her cheek on his shoulder. Obake sighed deeply as he pulled her tightly into his embrace.

“Cass, my dear, I have something to ask of you,” he spoke after a beat, his voice low and secretive. “Every king needs a queen, and - can you sense it? - the night is calling for anarchy.”

He moved pulled from her, a mad look trapped in his sharp gaze as he searched her eyes for a nonverbal answer.

“What do you say? Feel like starting a new era with me?”

Cass felt some odd mix of trepidation and exhilaration trembling from within her core, shaking every fiber of her being to its root.

“Hell yes,” she grinned, Obake flashing her a brilliant smile in return. “Let’s do it.”

Obake's hands clenched tightly around her - either out of protection or possession, it was hard to tell - his expression was a lit with excitement.

“Wonderful,” he moved into her, his lips pressing against the shell of her ear. Cass clenched up as his cool breath passed into her brain. “Let's get this madness started with, shall we, my Queen?”

A wildfire had started in Cass’ mind, the renegade in her soul was now fully in control and loving every second of it.

“You fucking know it,” she smiled wildly at him. "Lead the way, my King!”


	4. It's Showtime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ _But what if the monsters come_?"
> 
> " _Fancy." Kit looked away from the drama to stare at her sister, surprised. "We are the monsters._ ”
> 
> ― Dia Reeves, Slice of Cherry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi & thanks for dropping in to catch up on the newest chapter of this fic!~ Sorry for the long pause in between this chapter and the previous one; life tends to get in the way a little too often for me...
> 
> Anyway, I just wanted to give y'all a heads up that I have reworked the past three chapters while I have been MIA. For this new chapter, I may unintentionally end up working off of new information I added, so if you are interested or confused by what you read in this chapter, you may want to give at least chapter 3 a re-read, it was the one I added to and changed the most.
> 
> Sorry for being such a pain, but thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoy!~

Obake had laced Cass' hand through his elbow and he elegantly led her away from the crazed masses to a hidden seating area that was guarded by yet another hulking bouncer. Cass had seen this guy around the Pit many times before but he had such a fearsome glare that she never felt comfortable enough to speak to him. So now, seeing that horrified look he shot her as she was hanging onto Obake's arm was  _priceless_! She stood up straighter as they approached the man, suddenly feeling a hell of a lot more confident after seeing that look of fear in his eyes.

Obake merely nodded at the huge man and the bouncer instantly stepped to the side, allowing them both to enter into the so-called VIP lounge. He looked back and forth between the petite woman and the criminal mastermind, clearly wondering exactly what was going on. Cass smirked as she held tighter onto Obake. She gazed up to him, one excited thought passing through her mind.

_I could get used to this!_

As they strolled through the VIP area, Cass felt a little crestfallen as she couldn't help but realize it really wasn't anything that special. She had always wondered if the room had some regal grandiose she never got a chance to appreciate because she was always running around with trays of alcohol and food, never getting a second to just look around. There were photos, tapestries and plaques on the walls, but it was nothing too impressive. Instead, as far as she could see, the only really good thing the VIP lounge could offer to the Pit's more important clientele was a chance to get away from all the ruckus of the regular lowlifes.

Maybe there was something to that though - the air felt electric and charged once they had entered into the secretive lounge.

After all, Cass had attended to plenty of big shots that were hidden in this private corner of the theater and they had always seemed to be having a very good time, but now, here she was and it all felt quite different. She had never thought someone would spend good money on hiring her to take care of them for the night, but it had happened. Somehow, some god forsaken way, she had been bippity boppity booed into having her own grungy little dreams coming true. She was sure she would wake up in the morning and this Cinderella-like dream would be over too soon, so she was determined not to waste any time in enjoying herself!

While she was lost in though, Obake continued to stroll through the lounge and he directed the oblivious girl to a booth. It was situated between the far wall and against the railing, which had a perfect and unmarred view below onto the bot battlefield, and it gave the two of them some much deserved privacy. Cass clambered over the one seat and leaned over the bar, gazing downward, incredibly taken aback by how close to the action they were from here. Though she tried not to show how impressed she was with this whole ordeal, she still couldn't help but gaze around in befuddlement while Obake slid into the seat across from her, watching the girl with a highly bemused grin.

"This is actually pretty cool - I never realized the view was so good from over here," Cass said, forcing her focus back to Obake, who was leaning back, his left leg crossed over his right knee and his arm stretched over the back of the booth. Suddenly, she jolted backwards and off of the chair, realizing he had not welcomed her to join him and feeling rather stupid for assuming she could sit alongside him. She took in a sharp breath as she looked the man over, completely taken off guard by how perfect he looked in the dim lighting - scars, piercings and all. His eyes were practically glowing as he stared into her, probing for something more, something deeper inside her.

_God, why did he have to be so handsome?!_

"The view?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, a wild gleam caught in his eyes as he stretched his palm outwards, motioning her to sit down. "Do tell me more."

Cass nearly choked on her tongue -  _did he catch me staring at him_?! - and she looked to seat opposite of him, slightly embarrassed.

"Uhm, I don't think I'm supposed to," Cass shrugged toward the seat, carefully pulling on the hem of her far-too-ungodly-short skirt. "Sit - I mean," she clarified with a shake of her dizzy head.

Obake uncrossed his legs and leaned onto the table. "I'm sorry, but I believe I hired your services for the evening."

A deep knot had settled in Cass' stomach as he said those dreaded words -  _why did everyone make it sound so dirty?!_

"Yeah," she agreed. "I should be serving you and stuff - I mean, Boss would probably kill me if he found me sitting here with you anyway!" She laughed uncomfortably as Obake glared at her, his expression totally unreadable.

Cass shifted back and forth between her feet, not exactly sure how to respond to him. "So, can I grab you something to drink?"

Obake reclined in his seat again, dismissively waving at her as a deep chuckle escaped his lips. "Cass, you silly thing, I believe you misunderstand. I did  _not_ , in fact, pay such an obscene amount of money for you to feed me and tend to my every whim tonight."

"Then -," Cass started, still unsure where this was going. "What -?"

 _I mean, there is_ _ **no**_   _way he wants me to just lounge around with him all night - that's insane! Cass, you are losing it! He clearly means that he wants you to -_

"I paid for your companionship, miss Tachibana. I want nothing more than to spend the night alongside you."

Cass stood motionless, completely caught off guard by his words.

"I don't understand."

"Well," Obake sighed, drawing a loose circle with his finger on the table. "I must ask then, what exactly do you think that was? When we kissed? Do you do that for all of your clients?"

Cass blanched -  _wait, did he just call me a slut?!_ \- she offset her jaw and frowned at him determinedly. "Of course not! Why would you even ask that?! You think I just go around smooching my way through my problems?"

"No, not at all, actually. I've met many of that type of woman before and  _that_  you are not," his eyes glanced down to the current on-going bot battle below, before his focus flitted back to her. "But, you seem to be very confused as to why I wanted you to stay with me tonight. And, by the by, you were right: your monster of a boss had full intentions on firing you tonight."

"So?"

"Cass, I spent a lot of money so I can be by your side tonight. It may only be a few hours, but I want to spend all this time I can alongside you."

Cass awaited his next words like a man with a noose around his neck awaited the ground falling out beneath him. Obake grinned wildly at her as she stood there considering him in a stupor. As he continued to look her over, his sharp features twisting into something cruel as the shadows played about his face. "Why, my dear, you're speechless - is it possible that you struck your head before I found you?"

Cass came to and shook her head, just noticing now that her short hair had grown massively in volume after drying from the rain as a few strands were busying themselves by curling up around her cheeks. "No, I didn't - I mean, I just don't understand. I didn't -," she laughed in disbelief. "God, Obake, these sort of things don't happen to me. I don't get it - I don't get you."

"I see," Obake pulled himself from the booth and stood before the confused girl, carefully stroking the back of his hand against her cheek as he directed her focus upwards to meet his eyes. "Let me find a way to explain this more bluntly to you."

Before she had time to register it, he had wrapped her in his arms and dragged her to him.

"I want to spend this time staring into your eyes. Listening to you laugh. I want nothing more than to speak with you, learn your life story, hear your every thought. I want to enrich your life. And, if you will have me, I will spoil you and I may never let you from my arms ever again," he drawled each word slowly, his tone was low and quiet - only for her ears to hear - as his hands drifted slowly to cupping her face. Cass felt her hair standing on edge as a painful heat flashed over her face. "I don't want anything but  _you._ "

Cass bit down on her tongue, her heart now flailing wildly in her chest. If he was joking, Obake had the best damn poker face Cass had ever seen. He didn't even blink through all that! She cleared her throat and attempted move away from him, but he drew her back even closer than before. They shared the same air as he grazed his lips over hers as he spoke.

"Will you have me?"

There was no avoiding his gaze now, she locked onto him and began tearing up slightly as looking straight into his eyes was as painful as staring into the sun. She closed her eyes from him and walked herself through a few breaths before she could meet his gaze again.

"Obake," Despite how weak she felt, her voice remained powerful. She slowly wound her hands up his torso to rest on his surprisingly sturdy chest, only now realizing he must have gotten quite wet at some point in their journey to the Pit, his shirt was still quite damp. "I will."

Obake nodded, a pleased smile pulled at the corners of his lips.

"And so, I am yours."

 

* * *

 

Cass sat in the booth, her fingers tapping nervously on her knees as she waited for Obake to return.

_This was not supposed to happen._

_The night was definitely not supposed to go like this, at all._

But here she was, having been hired out for the evening, sitting in a VIP booth and waiting impatiently for Obake to return with some food and drinks.

_Why was he doing this? That's literally my job - I'm supposed to be doing this for him! Not sitting here and let him do all my work for him! This is so wrong!_

"Ah, here we go," A platter containing a colorful array of sushi, steamy dumplings and chopped fruit was set in front of Cass and she leapt in her skin, the arrival of food suddenly ripped the girl out from her deep thoughts. "Our late night dinner is served!"

Cass watched Obake carefully as he returned to his seat, grinning contentedly to himself as he made himself comfortable again. He removed the food from the tray, spreading the platters across the table, making sure everything was easily available for the both of them. He poured a small dish of soy sauce to pair with the dumplings, set aside two small plates, a few napkins and a pair of chopsticks, and his attention again turned to Cass.

"This is a lot of food for one person," Cass said, her mouth watering as the savory sent of soy sauce pervaded her nose. "If it is all for you?"

Obake laughed and put a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound. "Honestly, are you really this daft? Of course not, this is for us to share." He offered her a small plate and a set of chopsticks. "Please, do have something to eat."

"Oh," Cass replied, still dumbfounded that this man was showing even an ounce interest in her, but she was more than willing to accept the offer. Admittedly, she had completely forgotten about dinner as she forced herself to sleep rather early in the evening so she would be able to make it through this night. "Thank you, this looks really good!"

Obake nodded as he eyed her like a hawk while she took a few items on her plate, grateful to see she wasn't still refusing his advances. "And don't think I forgot, I ordered some beverages, as well. Our server should bring them shortly."

While in the middle of taking a bite out of a dumpling, Cass froze and stared at the table. She clenched her eyes shut as she chewed -  _god, if anyone sees me here with him like this, I'm never gonna hear the end of it! Yoko and Boss knowing what is going on is enough, just imagine if anyone else found out! -_  trying desperately to make it look like she was savoring each bite, rather than fearing what was soon to come.

And, damn, their server showed up fast.

"Sorry, we had a little mix up in the kitchen, so I wanted to bring your things to you directly - I know how you are, you'd rather hear it from me, blah blah blah. Anyway, here's the sodas and sake you ordered. And Obake, I truly hope you'll like what I picked out - I know I've never given you reason to doubt me before! - the sake's floral notes will match very well with the flavor profile of the sushi I created specifically for you and I was sure to include your favorite fish, if you see here -"

There was a moment of silence after the rapid babble from the newcomer and Cass refused to open her eyes to see what was the matter. She knew damn well that the matter was that her co-worker had finally noticed she was sitting there.

"What in the ever loving  _fuck_ are you doing here, Cass?" Her aggressive accent was immediately recognizable.

Cass slowly opened her eyes and swallowed her bite of food. "Hey, Momo..."

Her co-worker stood cross armed at the head of the table, looking as bold and scary as ever. Her long black hair was tied into a tight bun and her mouth was frowning firmly, as it always was. She wore a dark headband, a black tank top and a pair of baggy sweats. Even in such casual wear, she somehow exuded the energy of a ruthless CEO.

Momoko was also the only one of the Pit's few employees that more frightening than any of the bouncers and even Boss. She was considered to be the Pit's sous chef and she made certain to be there in person for each "special occasion," like tonight. It was all thanks to Boss having started up her career in both thievery and cooking that she currently claimed the title at the Pit, but Cass hoped to one day give her a run for her money!... Truthfully, it was a crazy dream, because while Cass was busy catching up on sleep and working through piles of class work, Momoko instead spent the rest of her days working alongside a renown sushi master. There was no competition between the two.

Regardless, Cass had admired her from day one - Momoko carried such a professional air about her and was an absolutely incredible chef - her entrees were unbeatable! Plus, she had saved Cass' life once, so she would never stop looking up to the maniacal chef.

Back when Cass had first been hired at the Pit, she had stupidly tried to diffuse an argument between two different gangs before it could break out in an all out brawl, but one of the gangsters had gotten exceedingly pissed at Cass and thrown her to the floor. After recovering from the wind being knocked out of her, Cass came to, finding the same thug was hovering above her with a switch blade held against her neck.

Before she could even cry out, a chef knife was thrown at the two of them and pierced nicely into the gangster's shoulder. The man tried to back off and get away but Momoko got to him first. She reclaimed her blade by yanking it directly from his flesh and with a flick of her wrist, she sliced him across the face, demanding he leave and never return. Once she had turned her blade and attention to the other punks, they scattered in the wind, all completely unwilling to face her wrath.

Noticing the tension building in the air, Obake cleared his throat. "Momoko, my dear, allow me to explain: Cass is spending the night with me, as my guest."

She raised her eyebrow at Obake and turned to glare at Cass. "Really, now? You and her? Cass, you're - god, Obake, you must be joking!"

Cass cautiously lowered her chopsticks onto her plate, feeling far too stressed to keep eating in Momoko's presence.

_Good god, at least it's not just me who's confused by all this…_

"Yes,  _really_ ," Obake's voice took on a sharp tone as he addressed her, his voice raising and Momoko's focus immediately shifted off of Cass, who sighed deeply in relief. "And I'll advise you not to speak in that manner to her again!"

Momoko shrugged off his anger with a scoff. "Whatever." She rolled her shoulders and smirked at him. "You've always had shite taste in girls, I shouldn't be surprised. Yurei was the only fine one you ever caught."

"Momoko. Please," Obake sighed in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This night is stressful enough, I don't need you adding to it. You've given me plenty of trouble since we were kids, can you  _please_ not do this tonight."

The chef threw up her hands. "Fine. I'll leave you be. And," she glared mischievously in Obake's direction. "I should warn you, boy: if you order anything more from the kitchen, I will try my absolute damnedest to control myself from spitting on it - but I can't promise anything for sure!"

Obake was completely unfazed. "Thank you, I appreciate you attempting  _not_  to be a complete arsehole to me for a change."

She bowed deeply, her voice taking on a thickly sarcastic tone. "Of course, anything for you, your majesty!"

"That is it!" Obake stood suddenly, the entire table nearly tipped onto Cass as he pointed violently at the exit. "OUT! LEAVE! NOW!"

Momoko stuck her tongue at him and turned about, her head in the air as she made her way out of the VIP lounge. Once she had passed the bouncer, Obake fell unceremoniously into his seat with a groan.

"Bugger - I'm terribly sorry about that, there's no excuse for her behavior... She's always been this way with me."

Cass glanced over at him, suddenly seeing the nearly-emotionless villain in a totally different light. He looked far too worn out for his own good after dealing with Momoko's bullshittery and… how old was he anyway? The interaction with Momo alone made him look like he aged ten years in five minutes.

Cass had too much on her mind tonight, she tried to stop herself from asking any one of the few inappropriate questions that were bouncing around her brain, but the words fled her lips before she registered it.

"Do you two have a history?" Mortification strangled her throat as he passed a weird, undignified look her way.

"Absolutely not! Not in the way you're suggesting," Obake grabbed the sake  _tokkuri_  and he began pouring the drink into two  _ochoko_.

"How do you guys know each other then?" Cass picked up her chopsticks and started picking at some fruit she had taken on her plate. "Are you related? You both were acting like siblings."

Obake laughed with a shake of his head. "No, thank god, we're not related by any means."

He offered an  _ochoko_  to Cass and she hesitantly took it from his grasp. He nodded to her and lifted his cup, she followed suit and their  _ochoko_   _clinked_  lightly together. With an utterance of "cheers," he lifted his drink to her once more and took a swift swig of the fragrant stuff. Cass brought the drink to her mouth and she lightly wet her lips with it, afraid of going too gung-ho and drinking far more of the stuff than would be necessary. Tonight, she intended upon being a little more… self controlled.

"We knew each other growing up. My family was close to hers and I had to sit in on that prat more often than I'd like to admit." Obake downed the rest of his drink and set his  _ochoko_ to the side. "Bloody hell - what I wouldn't give to forget those days."

Cass smiled to herself, weirdly excited to see this very human side of Obake that was brought on after the antagonism of one of his childhood friends - if he would even deign to refer to Momoko as such!

Obake caught her gaze and he grinned back at her. "What? Why are you laughing to yourself over there?" He asked gently.

"Oh, it's nothing," Cass pushed her bangs to the side as their eyes crossed again. She opened her mouth, about to say something she'd probably regret when she was cut off by a voice that could  _easily_  shatter glass.

"OBAKE!~ Why, if it isn't li'l old you!"

He jolted upright and unwillingly tore his gaze from Cass to gaze at the source of the sound. In all the commotion of Momoko's arrival and departure, they had not noticed a few other groups had filed into the lounge. Among one particular hoard of people was one svelte, blonde lady who's hair could only be described as "Texas big." She wore a bright dress that was cut exceedingly low, her ample bosom appeared to be struggling to escape the meager fabric and, for what the dress lacked in covering her chest, it also struggled to contain her upper thighs.

Cass turned a scoff into a laugh as she turned away, not sure if she could maintain her composure as the woman bounded over to their table. Surprisingly the woman was fast on her feet and she grabbed a chair out from a nearby table and forced it to their booth in one swift move. She sat down gracefully and her half-lidded eyes bore into Obake's face.

Obake coughed and turned away from the other woman, instead focusing on Cass, silently begging her for help.

"I was hopin' you'd be here tonight! I didn't think you'd pass up on letting that boy get away with your title, hmm?" It seemed the woman had no "inside voice" to speak of, as the entire room echoed in her thick southern accent.

"Barbara, it's a pleasure, as always. But, I didn't expect to see you here tonight," Cass could see a muscle in Obake's jaw twitching, as if he was fighting another facial expression in order to maintain the simple grin he currently wore. "I thought you were out of town with your husband?"

"Oh, I was, but I got so bored with him! It's all papers, papers, papers with that man - what a bore! So, I hopped on my jet and came back home. Anyway, I just couldn't miss see'n you here tonight!" With no forewarning, she brought a hand up to Obake's face and she smacked his cheek playfully. "You better show that boy a what for when you're down there!"

Obake grimaced, his hand raising to protect his ruddy cheek. "Don't worry. I'll keep that in mind." His eyes strayed from the loud woman to Cass, still searching for help. "Oh, and Barb, allow me to introduce you to my friend here." He gestured at Cass, who was caught off guard with a mouthful of sushi still sitting in her maw. Barb turned and shuddered as she caught sight of Cass and Obake froze, his eyes wide in shock. Cass rose a hand to her mouth to cover her face, just trying to eat the damned piece of sushi without all this attention falling on her, as Obake broke into an uncontrollable bought of laughter while the other woman looked Cass up and down with an unimpressed glare.

Cass managed to choke down the food and she unthinkingly offered the same hand she had used to shield her mouth to the scowling blonde. "Hi, I'm Cass!"

"It's Barb." She took a light hold of her hand and sneered at their touch, while Obake tried to stifle his laughter in the background. "Pleasure."

While the women were tied up in their little meet and greet, Obake jumped on the chance to slither out of the booth and take a few good steps away to distance himself from the table.

"Ladies, I must apologize, but I had forgotten I needed to -," his voice drifted off, as if he didn't yet have an excuse for his need to run away. Instead of supplying a reason, he simply smiled to them both. "I'll be back shortly. Do play nice!"

And he ran off.

_God, who is this woman if Obake needed to run away from her?!_

"Well, damn," the busty blonde flattened the hem of her dress. "I didn't expect he'd actually have a date tonight."

Cass stopped halfway to shoving a strawberry into her mouth.  _What did she just say?_

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cass put down the chopsticks, her hunger sated for the moment.

Barb flipped her hair and turned to glare at Cass. "Oh, it's nothin' you'd understand, hun."

Cass crossed her arms defiantly. "Go ahead, try me."

Barb's glossy, red lips curled up in a twisted smile that made Cass' gut take on a horrible sinking feeling. "OK, you precious little thing, let me let you in on somethin'." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she gestured Cass to move closer to her with one sharp, painted fingernail. "It's a bit of a secret, ya know?" Cass leaned over the table to hear Barb better, all the while a feeling of dread kept growing in the front of her mind.

"Uhh," Cass gulped, unable to push down her discomfort of being so close to the painted lady. "So, what is it?"

"I can see you and Obake are playing 'date night,' but I need you to understand he is  _off limits_."

Cass frowned, now cluing into why Obake jumped ship the first chance he could.

"I dunno, is this you saying he's 'off limits,' or is this Obake making this decision for himself? Because this definitely sounds like it's coming from you. We've been having a pretty good night so far," Cass growled defensively, not allowing this air-brained woman to get under her skin. "I don't think you should interrupt that."

"Goodness, you really don't understand this at all," she leaned back in the chair with a sigh, while Cass continued to glower in her direction. "So here, listen up: I taught Obake every little thing he knows, right? And all this time I have been waiting -  _very patiently, mind you!_ \- for the chance to win his heart."

Cass leaned away from the woman, now seriously wondering if she had hit her head when she fell -  _this woman was insane!_

"OK, and?" Cass pressed. "I'm pretty sure his love life is up for him to decide, not to you because it's 'your turn.'"

Barb crossed her legs and snorted. "Girl, he has been been through all sorts. All sorts! You should see what beasties he brought home sometimes! And - and I know for fact that he's done with men now, he's completely straightened out so -"

"Wait, wait, wait," Cass waved her hands, effectively cutting Barb off. "'All sorts?' What the hell are you talking about?"

Barb rolled her eyes sharply. "He was going through this stupid phase where he was tryin' to 'find himself,'" she tapped her foot angrily on the wooden floor. "Said he was 'bisexual,' all that sort of bull."

Cass' head spun as if she had been on a tilt-o-whirl - just talking to this woman for a short period of time was making her sick. She shook her head, just trying to make heads or tails out of the information this woman was tossing at her. "He's bi?"

Barb clicked her tongue at Cass, as if she had just cursed. "Watch your mouth! Whether he thought he is or actually is, I don't care. All I know now is that he's due for a woman now after that horrible falling out he had with his last boyfriend."

"OK, so," Cass slowly began putting it all together. "You think, because he dated a guy last, that he is going to - for sure, one hundred percent - date a woman next? And you… think it's going to be you? Because you've waited your time?" Everything she said felt exceedingly stupid coming out of her mouth, but as she spoke, Barb nodded dumbly, a satisfied smile lighting up her face.

"That's it! You've got it!"

Cass laughed in Barb's face. "You've got to be kidding - that makes absolutely no sense! How -"

A cold hand landed on her uninjured shoulder, cutting her off, a chill running uncontrollably down her spine.

"Sorry, ladies. Thank you for waiting on me though."

Suddenly, Barb stood upright and she tossed the chair to the side - it miraculously returned to its spot at the same table Barb had originally stolen it from - and she laughed coyly. "Don't you worry, hun, I'd wait an eternity for you!"

Obake stiffened and, this time, he didn't even try to smile at Barb's uncomfortable choice of words.

"Well, anyway, it's been nice, but I've got some folks from my company I've gotta entertain. See you 'round, Obake, and good luck in your fight!" Barb blew him a kiss before strolling away to join a loud cowboy hat-wearing group on the other side of the room. Obake and Cass both breathed out sighs of relief once she got far enough away.

"Man, she's sure something!" Cass laughed, not entirely sure what else she could say in regards to that obnoxious human tornado.

Obake sat down and dropped his head, banging his forehead into the table three times before sitting upright again. "Honestly, I don't know how I haven't killed her yet. I think I'm just too respecting of my elders."

She was taking a sip of her cola as he spoke, completely unprepared for the final line. Cass snorted and the soda ran through her nose - Obake jumped backwards in his seat and offered her a napkin as Cass regained her breath.

"Are you alright?" He offered her another napkin, but as she was busy coughing into her fist, Obake gently raised his hand to her cheek and he helped dry the liquid that was all over her face.

"I'm fine, I just really wasn't expecting you to say that!" Cass took the napkin and blew her nose, finally clearing her sinuses of the fizzy drink.

Obake smiled at her. "And I am sorry I ran off and left you alone with her, but I knew you'd be fine. After dealing with Momoko," he sighed warily. "I didn't think I could take Barb, too!"

Cass nodded, setting her drink down and out of her sight. She was kind of done with soda for the night.

"Anyway, what did you to get to talking about while I was gone?" Obake finally started picking at the food, nibbling away at a now lukewarm dumpling.

Cass bit her lip, unsure if she should say anything about their conversation. Good thing is, that her mouth had a tendency to speak for her.

"She said you're bisexual?"

Obake took another bite of his dumpling, completely unaffected.

"Yes," he affirmed. "I am."

"And she said it's a phase?" She winced as she spoke, hating to repeat Barb's inane thoughts.

Obake rolled his eyes, unable to hide his annoyance.

"She's been saying that since I met her - always saying how one day we'd be together." He chuckled to himself before looking Cass' way. "She deeply misunderstood me when I told her I was attracted to both men and women. Somehow, she got it in her head that I liked ALL men and women. Let me just say, she is not my type in the slightest."

Cass smiled, glad to know she was in good company with Obake. What could be an incredibly awkward conversation between them wasn't faring so poorly. She shifted in her seat, sitting on top of her hands as she considered her next question.

"How much older is she than you?" Her line of thought suddenly distracted. "I mean, you called her an 'elder,' right?"

Obake picked up a slice of pineapple. "Allow me to explain it this way: she is more of a mentor and mother figure to me than anything else." He took a bite, some stray juice leaking down his chin. "She's utterly deranged. I stopped working with her long ago because I couldn't handle being the subject of her delusions any longer."

Cass reached across the table and offered him a napkin this time. Obake smirked and thanked her briefly, before he cleaned his face.

"And what about…" Cass bit down on her lip, afraid of bringing up any bad memories. "What was this about your most recent ex? Barb had mentioned something about you and him having a bad falling out?"

Obake immediately dropped his chopsticks, which both went clattering away onto the floor. Cass' eyes swelled as he glared at her -  _so much fire, so much hatred, so much anger_ \- he looked away from her, his expression still deadly grim.

"Yes, it was a terrible break up." He looked down at the battlefield, his gaze locked onto someone or something in the crowd below. Cass tried to see what he was fixated on, but Obake's voice pulled her back to their conversation. "He was my partner in crime for years before we even started dating. We even took up our aliases together, so that we were a matching pair. It was Obake and Yurei, Yurei and Obake. We were invincible and we had a great run. But," Obake reclined deeply into the chair, his arms crossing defensively over his chest. "One day, he decided to destroy everything we had built together."

Cass leaned onto the table, trying to get a better look at Obake's face while it was shrouded in shadows. "What happened?"

"This."

Obake swiftly uncrossed his arms and grabbed onto his right lower arm. Startled, Cass tried to peer closer to see what was the matter when he yanked his lower arm off and dropped it on the table. Cass forced herself back into the chair and yelped loudly as his arm clattered between two trays of food.

Once her heart slowed it's pounding, Cass hesitantly reached over and picked up his loose appendage. She turned it around in her hands, the base of it being the only portion that gave away that it wasn't real. Some circuitry and wires were present around the edge that would connect with the remainder of his real lower arm. Cass' eyes were unable to focus properly as her head filled to the brim with more questions that she wanted to pester him with.

"He… cut your arm off?" She asked, still not exactly sure why she was holding an incredibly realistic appendage in her hands. "When did this happen - how'd this happen?"

Obake took another swig of sake, completely unperturbed while only having one fully functioning arm. Cass averted her gaze from him and she focused on his prosthetic, playing with his robotic fingers and slowly lacing her fingers between them.

"It was a year ago. Last year at the previous tournament, actually." A weird, numb look crossed over Obake's face as he glared down at his prosthetic arm. "He relieved me of my arm. Destroyed my bot. And he stole my title as King."

Cass gulped, now she understood the gravity of people saying that the dethroned King was "out for  _blood_." She carefully offered the arm back to Obake and he masterfully attached it onto what remained of his scarred lower arm. He groaned quietly as the arm gave off a few odd  _clicks_  and  _whirs,_  after which, he lifted his arm above the table, and began flexing each of his fingers - it was now back under his control.

"God, I'm sorry, that's horrific." Cass took his hand from out of the air and grasped onto him with both of her fists. "I can't believe this happened - that someone could even do this."

Obake shrugged as his features softened. She felt his hand slowly latching onto one of hers and he smiled, looking back to her.

"It doesn't matter any more. What's done is done."

Cass pouted and looked deep into his eyes. "It still doesn't make it right, you know?"

Obake laughed gruffly. "Sorry, I wouldn't know anything about  _that_!"

Before she could question him in regards to that last line, a shadow loomed over their table. Cass glared over at yet  _another_  unwelcomed guest, but she snapped her jaw shut just short of issuing a very rude string of words, as a referee was standing there awaiting Obake's attention.

"Sorry to interrupt you sir, but it's time."

Obake nodded slowly and his gaze drifted to Cass. "It's my first battle for the night. I must go." He stood and took a deep stretch, his eyes clenched shut and his arms held high above his head.

Cass knew it was now or never.

She dove out of her seat and threw herself at him - wrapping her arms around his middle and accidentally knocking the air out of him as she did so. Obake stared down at her, slightly bewildered when Cass gripped behind his neck and - after gazing to the table she knew Barb was at - pulled him into a passionate kiss. Though there was a lot of spite in her and she partially kissed him only because she wanted to make it glaringly obvious to any onlookers what was going on - Cass quickly lost her anger as his hands wrapped around her again, pulling her into a deep embrace.

She lost track of time as she stood their locked in his arms, getting in a few very good kisses out of him all the while, only to be brought back to reality by the referee clearing his throat.

Cass and Obake slowly parted, a dumb sort of pleased smile was plastered onto his face and Cass was almost entirely certain that she looked the same as he. She tried to take a step back and let him pass, but Obake refused to let go of his grip on her.

"Will you watch me? Cheer me on?" His voice sounded like it had been whisked and aerated, like he was drifting away to cloud nine. "Could you, please?"

"Of course, I will," she pecked him on the lips once more. "Good luck and kick ass, Obake. I'll be rooting for you!"

He slowly released his hold on her, a fiendish glare caught in his eyes.

"I don't need luck," he chuckled dismissively. "But I quite think I need you."

"Well, hurry up down there, then!" Cass winked at him as she dropped back into her seat. "I'll be waiting for you once you get back!"

Obake flashed her a wolfish grin.

"I'll only be a moment, my dear."

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be the first part in my Obacass-centric series that's going to delve into Cass' youth along with her history with the fiend, Obake! I plan to move between their past & their present - which will pick up just at the beginning of the film itself - where the two meet again over a plate of blueberry scones [hint hint].
> 
> I'd be remiss in not giving a shout out to my bud, Nan [[@nightmare-kidette on tumblr](https://nightmare-kidette.tumblr.com/)], because I never would have gotten all carried away in this pairing if it wasn't for you! Thanks a ton for all the inspiration & great chats that led to the creation of this pairing! <3
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all can bare with me as I set up the story & all. Comments and thoughts are much appreciated!!
> 
> Do enjoy! :)


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